Bernie Sanders says he will vote no on massive defense budget
Washington DC - Bernie Sanders said he will vote against approving the defense budget this week as the Build Back Better Act remains in limbo.
Senate Democrats have been unable to get the votes necessary to pass the Build Back Better Act (BBB).
The social spending bill, originally proposed at $6 trillion over ten years, has now been cut down to $1.75 trillion.
Democratic holdouts like Senator Joe Manchin have said they still have concerns over the BBB's potential impact on the economy and national debt.
But there's one area where nobody ever seems concerned about massive spending and debt: the defense budget.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), set to go through the Senate this week, broadly outlines the Pentagon's spending parameters.
The bill, which passed in the House in September, would give the Pentagon $778 billion for the 2022 fiscal year.
"The Senate has spent month after month discussing the Build Back Better Act and whether we can afford to protect the children, the elderly, the sick, the poor and the future of our planet. As a nation, we need to get our priorities right. I will vote 'NO' on the National Defense Authorization Act," Sanders said in a statement, as reported by The Hill.
Sanders opposes inclusion of "competitiveness bill" in NDAA
The Vermont senator is also opposed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's plan to incorporate into the NDAA a $250-billion bill designed to boost competitiveness with China.
"It is likely that the Senate leadership will attach to the National Defense Authorization Act the so-called 'competitiveness bill,' which includes $52 billion in corporate welfare, with no strings attached, for a handful of extremely profitable microchip companies," Sanders said, speaking of subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing firms.
"This bill also contains a $10 billion handout to Jeff Bezos for space exploration," he added.
Sanders regularly votes no on the NDAA, so his decision this time around is unlikely to affect the bill's ability to pass.
Nevertheless, he's using the opportunity to point out his colleagues' inaction when it comes to social spending, as opposed to the strong bipartisan support government spending on the military receives.
"Isn’t it strange how even as we end the longest war in our nation’s history concerns about the deficit and national debt seem to melt away under the influence of the powerful Military Industrial Complex?" he asked.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo