Sen. Markey Opposes Bloated, Wasteful Defense Funding Legislation

Washington (October 10, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after voting against the $1 trillion National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
“Yesterday, the Senate voted to give the Pentagon a trillion-dollar spending package while the Trump administration and MAGA Republicans play politics with troop pay and nuclear security and refuse to reopen the federal government. All the while, they are stealing health care from American families to fund tax breaks for CEO billionaires. This isn’t a budget that funds America’s real security needs.
“Republicans rail that we need to cut government spending – for food assistance, for health care, for environmental protection – yet they are showering their defense contractor cronies with hundreds of billions for wasteful and destabilizing programs like Trump’s Golden Dome space-based missile system. Yet they decry that funding will soon dry up for paying military salaries and for essential nuclear security operations at the National Nuclear Security Administration.In their desperation to score cheap political points, Republicans are undermining vital national security missions.
“Year after year, Congress continues to expand military spending while denying investments in the programs that will truly build a safer, healthier future for working–and–middle class families. The cost of passing this bill in the form of denied rights and wasteful spending is simply too great.”
###