WASHINGTON--Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) today voted against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) citing its misplaced priorities and excessive spending.  

The NDAA provides $88.5 billion for the Afghanistan War and delays the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The bill also authorizes several billion more in defense spending than the President and the Joint Chiefs requested.  An unnecessary East Coast missile defense system that the Pentagon did not request is included, as well as more spending for the F-35B fighter jet that has been plagued with delays and cost overruns. 

“Although three of my amendments were included in the final bill there are still significant flaws in the final product.  For example, The U.S. has diminished Al Qaeda’s strength so it is time to  decrease our military presence in Afghanistan and bring our troops home as soon as safely possible,” said Rep. Ellison. “It’s unfortunate that Rep. Barbara Lee’s (D-CA) Amendment failed since it would have provided funds for the safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops and military contractors from Afghanistan. This is the path we should be taking.”

“We should not continue wasteful spending on a defense strategy that does not meet 21^st-century threats,” the congressman added. “Our security spending priorities must match modern threats. It’s time Republicans applied their promises of fiscal responsibility to their approach to defense.”

These are the congressman’s bipartisan amendments included in the final bill: 

• An amendment prohibiting tear gas or other riot control items from being provided to Middle Eastern countries transitioning to democracy if those countries’ security forces have used excessive force to repress peaceful, lawful and organized dissent. 

• An amendment introduced with Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Kay Granger (R-Texas) to end Pentagon contracts with any firm that supplies weapons to the Syrian government, which has killed more than 9,000 people since March 2011. Currently the Pentagon has contracts to buy helicopters and parts for the Afghan Security Forces from the Russian arms dealer Rosoboronexport, the main supplier of weapons to Syria. 

• An amendment coauthored with Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), and Ron Paul (R-Texas), clarifying that nothing in this bill can be construed to authorize use of force against Iran.

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