Markey Opposes Defense Spending Bill That Puts Warfare Over Health Care

Washington (December 17, 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. The FY26 NDAA passed the Senate by a final vote of 77 to 20 and now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

"The Defense budget is the Trump administration's ironclad commitment to put warfare over health care," said Senator Markey. "Trump is conducting an illegal war against Venezuela, deploying National Guard troops against our own people, and starting a new global nuclear arms race. All the while, Trump and MAGA Republicans are stealing health care from American families to give tax breaks to these gold-plated defense contractors. We don't need more bombs, bloated budgets, or boat strikes. We need to fire Secretary of War Crimes Hegseth. We need Oil Tanker Pirate Trump to walk the plank. We need more Medicaid-not more missiles.

"Year after year, Congress continues to expand military spending-which now, for the first time ever, tops $1 trillion. That is a betrayal of the country's future and a complete disregard for the real security needs of the American people - education, health care, housing, clean energy. We are denying investments in the programs that will truly build a safer, healthier future for working and middle-class families. The cost of passing this budget in the form of denied rights and wasteful, dangerous spending is simply too great."

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