Foster Statement on Voting Against NDAA

Washington, DC - Tonight, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against the House Republican version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY26.

"In Congress, the NDAA has historically been a bipartisan process focused on strengthening our national security and supporting service members and their families. I'm disappointed that Republican Leadership made the NDAA a venue for divisive partisan politics, attacking the rights of LGBTQ+ service members and refusing to rein in Trump's misuse of the U.S. military for domestic law enforcement.

"As a physicist, I'm especially concerned that this legislation continues to waste money on Trump's push for a "Golden Dome" missile defense system. For decades, scientists have been patiently explaining to politicians that an impermeable Strategic Missile Defense is technically impossible and can be easily circumvented by our opponents. Nonetheless, our government has wasted $250 billion on this technology to date, and President Trump's continued focus on ballistic missile defense will fail to protect Americans, and ultimately risks making us less safe in the process."

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