Versión del boletín en español aqui.
Dear John,
Last Wednesday, our country experienced two senseless acts of gun violence that made national news. Political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an appearance in Utah, and two students were injured in a shooting at Evergreen High School in Denver. Mr. Kirk is the sixth person to be killed this year in a politically motivated attack, and Evergreen is the 47th school to experience a shooting in 2025. I grieve for Mr. Kirk, his family, the recovering students, the witnesses to both events, and everyone whose life has been touched by gun violence in this nation. |
Violence is not the way to settle our differences in this country, and it should never be the answer to our disagreements--political or otherwise. No one should be a victim of gun violence. In increasingly divisive times, we must try harder to treat each other with civility and decency. I hope that these horrific events will encourage my Republican colleagues, who control all three branches of our government right now, to take real action on gun violence prevention.
Also last week we marked the 24th anniversary of September 11th. We will never forget the thousands of lives lost that morning and the heroic actions of our first responders on one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. After the tragedy of September 11th, we came together as a nation. We need to do so again; we cannot let our differences turn us against each other. |
|
The National Defense Authorization Act and Defense Spending
|
Last week, my colleagues and I voted on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill, which Congress votes on each year, authorizes the work of the Pentagon and the Department of Defense. It is critical legislation to ensure that our military is funded and prepared to face the threats of tomorrow. Since coming to Congress, I have served on the House Armed Services Committee, the committee responsible for drafting the NDAA every year. I was proud to be one of the lead drafters of the NDAA this year, and in July my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee and I passed our bill out of committee with the overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 55-2.
As an Air Force Veteran and the daughter and granddaughter of Naval officers, I take this work and this vote very seriously. When the NDAA was debated by the full House, several controversial and divisive amendments were added, and I made the difficult decision to vote against this version of the NDAA. The bill will now go to the Senate, and I hope that my colleagues there will put our national defense above politics and restore this bill to its original, sensible and bipartisan state. |
The NDAA Is Only One Piece of the Annual Funding Puzzle |
It is important to understand that the NDAA is just one part of the larger defense landscape, which has been challenging and confusing this year.
The NDAA is an authorizing bill, which means it directs how the Pentagon can spend money, but it does not provide funding. That comes from another piece of legislation-- the Department of Defense Appropriations Act--overseen by the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on Defense.
In a typical Congress, the Defense Appropriations bill is finalized and passed before the House Armed Services Committee debates the NDAA so the committee knows how much money it has to work with. That was not the case this year. Over the course of a few weeks this summer, my colleagues in Congress and I were asked to vote on multiple pieces of legislation impacting our national security in an order that was highly unusual – and without a clear sense of how each of these bills would work together. |
On July 4, President Trump signed the Republican Budget (also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) into law. This bill provided $150 billion in funding for the Pentagon. This is in addition to the regular budget given to the Pentagon through the Defense Appropriations bill, and it is the first time in decades that a reconciliation package included defense spending.
On July 15, I joined my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee in marking up the NDAA – authorizing the Pentagon to spend $882.6 billion on defense programs and improvements across the Department of Defense (DOD). This is higher than the proposed total budget in the Defense Appropriations bill, still yet to be confirmed by the rest of our colleagues in the House.
On July 17, the House passed the Defense Appropriations bill, appropriating $831.5 billion for the Pentagon, |
|
a different number than my colleagues and I had authorized the DoD to spend.
Also on July 17, the House passed a bill known as the Rescissions Act, which cut more than $8 billion worth of spending on foreign aid programs that support our allies and partners abroad and bolster U.S. national security.
|
What does it mean? Why does it matter?
The timeline of events across these summer weeks is confusing, but the actions themselves are even more confounding. It is unclear why Republicans would authorize additional Pentagon spending before knowing what the official budget for the Pentagon would be, or what that money would be used for. It does not make sense for Republicans to simultaneously cut billions of dollars’ worth of programs that support our national security while increasing the Pentagon’s budget by $150 billion. It is confusing and concerning that the extra $150 billion was not allocated for any specific purpose, giving Secretary Hegseth essentially, a blank check. (Watch my comments during an amendment hearing here.)
President Trump brags that his Administration is eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse from the federal government, but as a former business owner, I know that this is not how you build or manage a budget. Americans deserve to have clarity about how our tax dollars are spent. Republicans and Secretary Hegseth owe the American people an explanation about why the Pentagon needs an additional $150 billion and how he and the Trump administration intend to use that money. They also owe the American people an explanation about how eliminating foreign aid saves any money when the Pentagon is getting 18 times that much back in its additional funding. It is wasteful, and it defies common sense. |
Not only are Congressional Republicans’ actions bad for taxpayers, but they also make Americans less safe. As a third-generation veteran, I know that foreign aid and national defense go hand-in-hand, and the Rescissions Act comes after the Administration has already dismantled USAID and significantly reduced the workforce at the State Department. U.S. presence and aid programs across the world support DOD missions, strengthen our relationships with allies and are essential to countering the influence of bad actors like Russia and China who wish the U.S. harm. Gutting the programs and agencies responsible for “soft power” only opens the door for our adversaries to come in and take our place, undermining our influence around the world. Additionally, President Trump has said that he thinks the U.S.’s foreign policy should be “peace through strength,” and pulling money out of soft power while increasing the Pentagon’s budget – while renaming it the Department of War – are in opposition to that goal. President Trump promised that he would end wars, not escalate or start them, but in just the last week, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have intensified and the Trump Administration executed a military strike without Congressional approval. We all deserve better.
|
Structure in Poland damaged by Russian drone strike (Source: Reuters) |
I continue to do everything in my power to support U.S. national security, protect our national interests, and keep divisive politics out of legislation essential for the readiness of our Armed Forces. I am working with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to get answers from the Administration about how they plan to use the additional $150 billion and to conduct necessary oversight of the Pentagon’s budget. I will continue to advocate for the restoration of soft power, and I call on my colleagues in the Senate to pass an NDAA focused on our collective defense instead of scoring political wins.
While the NDAA is with the Senate, the end of the government’s fiscal year is quickly approaching. The government is funded through September, and if we don’t pass a bill appropriating money the government is allowed to spend, we face a shutdown. There is a lot of chatter about again using a “CR” or Continuing Resolution, but that is a funding method that is basically kicking the can down the road. Democrats are working to remove harmful aspects of the Republican spending bill, including the massive cuts to healthcare, education, food assistance and other non-defense programs, and reductions to services for veterans and their families. I will keep you updated as September 30 rapidly approaches.
|
Now I’ll tell you the top three issues that our community has called and written to me about this week: - Concerns about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Releasing the Epstein Files.
- The National Guard Deployment in D.C.
In case you aren’t following me on social media, let me quickly add that I have called for the resignation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. because I believe he is a real and present danger to Americans. I met two weeks ago with some of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and continue to demand the release of the unredacted files. And I do not believe our National Guard should be deployed to American cities without the approval of the state’s governor. Watch this video for more information on that. |
I will be paying attention to these issues and many more as I work in Washington, D.C. to be your voice.
Serving as our community’s representative in Congress is the honor and privilege of my lifetime and I hope you will reach out about the issues you care about.
As always, please contact my office if you need assistance.
Sincerely, |
Chrissy Houlahan U.S. Member of Congress
Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for my newsletter here.
Please share: if you find this newsletter valuable or interesting, please share it with friends and family and ask them to subscribe too.
Please note that replying to this email will not direct your message to the right place. To contact the Office of Representative Houlahan, please click here. |
|
