[Peace] ITT: BREAKING: Elizabeth Warren Joins Bernie Sanders in Opposing Trump’s Massive War Budget

[Robert Naiman]

BOOM.

Sarah Lazare, live like her.

http://inthesetimes.com/article/22206/bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren-trump-ndaa-militarism-defense-spending-war
BREAKING: Elizabeth Warren Joins Bernie Sanders in Opposing Trump’s Massive
War Budget

All other 2020 candidates have remained silent on how they will vote.
BY Sarah Lazare <http://inthesetimes.com/community/profile/7141>

*Update:*

Following publication of this piece, a Senate spokesperson for Elizabeth
Warren contacted *In These Times* with the following comment: “I just saw
your piece on the NDAA. She does not support this level of defense funding
and does not plan to vote in favor of the NDAA.”

Warren then tweeted
<https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1204591988160520193> the following
remarks: “The Pentagon’s budget has been too large for too long. I cannot
support a defense bill that’s a $738 billion Christmas present to giant
defense contractors & undermines our values and security.”

*Earlier:*

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the only 2020 presidential hopeful who has
pledged to vote against—and loudly denounced—the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2020, a $738 billion military spending bill
that would mark a $22 billion increase
<https://theintercept.com/2019/12/10/ndaa-congress-defense-bill/> over last
year. The other frontrunner in the Senate, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.),
serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is tasked with
negotiating the contents of the bill, but has so far remained silent on how
she will vote. None of the other Democratic presidential candidates in
Congress—Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Sen. Michael
Bennet (Colo.) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)—have indicated their
voting intention, either.

The initial House version of the NDAA included certain restrictions on how
military spending could be used, including measures prohibiting the
allocation of funds to an unauthorized war with Iran and stopping U.S.
military support for the war on Yemen. But a new compromise bill, released
Monday, strips these out. While the compromise offers some concessions,
such as paid parental leave for some federal workers, peace campaigners
characterize it as a win for the Right. The House and Senate are expected
to vote as soon as this week on the bill, which includes authorization for
Trump’s proposed “space force” as part of the compromise.

Erik Sperling, executive director of Just Foreign Policy, an antiwar
organization, tells *In These Times* the bill is dangerous, failing to rein
in the military in any meaningful way. “This NDAA does nothing to end our
role in the horrific war in Yemen, doesn't explicitly defund unauthorized
war with Iran, doesn't repeal the Iraq Authorization for Use of Military
Force, and among many other policies that ratchet up the new Cold War with
Russia and China, doesn't ban dangerous low-yield nukes that will
contribute to a new arms race.”

Just Foreign Policy is part of a coalition of antiwar organizations that is
contacting
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YeFNo7QHHzmJ0NH4ifKXfHi2j4iffbYcK2IybMkc4UE/edit#gid=0>
lawmakers
in the House and Senate, asking them to vote no on the bill.

So far, few have publicly pledged to vote no on the legislation. On
December 9, Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) released a statement
rejecting the NDAA as a bill of “astonishing moral cowardice.” The
statement declares, “Congress should have used this National Defense
Authorization Act to stop our endless wars. Instead, this bill does nothing
to rein in out-of-control military spending.”

“Every member of Congress should vote against this measure,” the statement
continues. “There is no pressing reason for Congress to shower Trump, his
Saudi friends, and the Pentagon contractors of the military-industrial
complex with this $738-billion taxpayer giveaway right now.”

Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Rashida Tlaib
(D-Mich.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) have also pledged to
vote against the bill, according to Sperling, who says Just Foreign Policy
spoke directly to their staff.

Several of the presidential candidates, including Warren and Sanders,
previously pushed for reforms to the NDAA that are not included in the
latest version. But none except Sanders has publicly committed to voting no.

While peace campaigners contacted Warren’s office Tuesday asking her to
reject the NDAA, the Massachusetts senator has not released a statement.
She voted in favor of the NDAA for 2018, which gave Trump a bigger war
budget than he had initially requested, but voted no to the NDAA for 2019.
Sanders has rejected every NDAA under Trump.

Sperling said that even if Warren ends up voting against the bill, it’s
important for politicians to come out early—and strongly—against the NDAA.
“It's not only important to vote the right way, but to come out with a
strong statement and show leadership early. Members of Congress are looking
for guidance from the major national political leaders, and sitting on the
sideline can send the signal that defeating endless war is not a priority.”

Warren did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sarah Lazare <http://inthesetimes.com/community/profile/7141/>

Sarah Lazare is web editor at *In These Times*. She comes from a background
in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The
Nation, and Tom Dispatch. She tweets at @sarahlazare.
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