Skip to main content

HR 4909 – National Defense Authorization Act of 2017: No

HR 4909 – National Defense Authorization Act of 2017: No. National defense is the federal government’s most fundamental responsibility, but this is not an excuse for waste and mismanagement within the defense establishment. I especially object to provisions that prohibit BRAC review of obsolete or dysfunctional military bases and that increase ongoing manpower levels at a time we should be rebuilding our arsenals. I object to provisions that use Overseas Contingency Operations as a Pentagon slush fund in a manner that assures additional supplemental funding will be needed later this year. Finally, I take particular exception to the suppression of an amendment offered by Mr. Gosar of Arizona that would forbid employment of illegal aliens in the American armed forces.