Today, Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09) released the following statement following the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) vote:
"We are still working to emerge from a pandemic and economic crisis that has shaken our country to its core. I voted no on the NDAA simply because I don't believe we should add that much money to an already bloated Pentagon budget. I support having by far the strongest military in the world and the good-paying defense jobs in my district that protect our troops, but I cannot support ever-increasing military spending in the face of so much human need across our country.
"The FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act supports a topline of $778 billion in military spending this year. By comparison, the estimated cost to fund 12 weeks of paid family leave for one year is $22.5 billion, enabling all American workers to manage the demands of their jobs while also caring for their families and their personal health — like all other developed nations. Yet, as of this writing, 12 weeks paid leave has been deemed too costly by Republicans and conservative Democrats and was whittled down to four weeks in the Build Back Better Act, and now risks being cut altogether.
"Similarly, my bill to provide free community college to help Americans prepare for the jobs of the future (including in defense industries) was stripped from the Build Back Better Act altogether to cut its costs, an estimated $10.9 billion for one year. Our priorities are upside down. This NDAA shows we do have enough money to expand educational opportunity if we would only expend our funds more wisely.
"My number one priority—during this pandemic and throughout my tenure in the House—is to raise the standard of living for the working people of Macomb and Oakland Counties. To do that, we must invest in solutions to the urgent problems facing working families today while avoiding investments that cause undue harm to people abroad and at home. I will continue to push for a responsible Pentagon budget that elevates diplomacy and peace, not war."
Source:https://andylevin.house.gov/media/press-releases/levin-criticizes-outsized-pentagon-budget-over-investments-working-americans
