Amid Trump’s Escalating Misuse of Our Military Against Americans, Duckworth Votes to Block Final Passage of Defense Authorization Bill for the First Time in Her Career

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Citing her deep concern over Donald Trump’s continuing—and escalating—abuse of our nation’s nonpartisan military and servicemembers by unconstitutionally deploying them into American cities including Chicago to intimidate Americans in their own communities, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today voted against the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the first time in her career. Duckworth has supported every NDAA since she was first elected to Congress in 2012.

“Each year, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to forge a bipartisan Defense Authorization bill that supports our military and protects our national security. This year’s NDAA, however, authorizes DoD funding that Donald Trump has misused—and that he continues misusing—to deploy our troops into American cities in an effort that neither protects our national security nor makes our communities safer. And it is because I love our military so much, and respect our troops so deeply, that I had no choice but to vote against this authorization.

“The power to deploy troops domestically must remain exceptional, accountable and rooted in law—not in one man’s judgment about what constitutes disorder.?I will never vote to enable a wannabe tinpot dictator to use the authorities or money Congress allocates to our Armed Forces in an un-American campaign—especially when that campaign abuses our servicemembers and disrespects their sacrifices by ordering them to intimidate Americans in their own communities rather than defend our nation against its adversaries.”

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