Congresswoman Summer Lee released the following statement after voting ‘NO’ on the FY2024 Defense Reauthorization Act, NDAA.

Washington DC – Lee said, “In recent years, Congress has authorized $41.6 million of “defense” spending on viagra, $2.3 million on Alaskan king crab, $32.6 billion for shipbuilding, $1.7 trillion on a program that “lost” $85 million in spare parts they say apparently just vanished. That’s enough to repair crumbling roads and bridges, provide free school lunch for every child in America, combat homelessness, and completely eradicate student debt. The people I represent in Western PA are sick and tired of Congress nickel and diming the programs their lives depend on while we bankroll defense contractors and spend more on our pentagon budget than the next 10 countries combined. The least we are owed is transparency and accountability for waste, fraud and abuse.”

Lee continued “Rather than working to prevent more endless wars, reign in price gouging and kickbacks to defense contractors, or require transparency within defense spending, Republicans held up funding for our veterans and service members to force through single largest funding total the Pentagon has ever received from Congress filled with dangerous abortion restrictions, attacks on LGBTQ service members, and handouts for big oil and big defense at unprecedented levels”

During Thursday’s Oversight hearing on defense spending, Lee grilled the DoD’s Director of Contracting on its exorbitant spending on everything from shipbuilding, Viagra, and Alaskan King Crab under the NDAA the expense of school meals, repairs to roads and bridges, and housing for the most vulnerable.