Urges better balance between defense spending and domestic priorities

December 16, 2021 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) released the following statement after voting against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2022:

“At a time when Congress is debating unprecedented domestic investments in the American people, this annual defense bill would authorize nearly $770 billion in the next year alone – $25 billion more than the Biden Administration even requested. This significantly overshadows any single investment in the Build Back Better Agenda. I’m also disappointed that this year’s defense bill fails to repeal outdated authorizations for use of military force in Iraq.

“While I support a strong defense budget that protects Americans and our interests at home and abroad, we need to better balance military spending and strengthening our national security with critical investments in domestic priorities. I cannot support a defense spending bill that does not do a better job of advancing this goal.”
Source: Senator Alex Padilla