Rep. Hoyle Votes Against $1.15 Trillion National Defense Authorization Act

On Wednesday, Congresswoman Hoyle voted against H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027. This year’s NDAA authorizes more than $1.15 trillion in spending for the Pentagon.

Hoyle is generally supportive of the military, and most especially of those that serve, so the vote could be seen as a little surprising. But there were two prongs of this year’s package that the congresswoman could not abide.

“I voted no on the NDAA because the American taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability and this bill offers neither. This bill contains provisions I support that would keep Americans safe and ensures our troops are well supported and fairly paid. However, I will not support the Administration’s plan to spend over $1 trillion on an agency that has failed eight consecutive audits and is fueling an illegal and immoral war,” said Hoyle in a release.

She went on to point out specific concerns about the bill. That it increases military spending to a record $1.15 trillion – a 28% increase from the current budget. That it fails to prevent the Administration from using funds for its unauthorized war in Iran. That it does nothing to stop the Pentagon from carrying out illegal strikes in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific waters. She chided that it renames the Department of Defense the Department of War, which is estimated to cost as much as $125 million.

She also specifically called out that it requires the Pentagon to more closely cooperate with the Israeli government and share sensitive military technology, and fails to stop the Defense Department from awarding contracts to companies cited for egregious labor violations.

Rep. Hoyle offered several amendments in an attempt to improve the bill, which were rejected by House Republicans:

• Helping more veterans use their post-9/11 GI benefits for training and apprenticeships – only 2% of 1.2 million veterans have used their benefits on these opportunities
• Ensuring civilian employees of the Department of Defense get a pay increase
• Studying the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease among civilian and military firefighters
• Making sure servicemembers complete annual suicide prevention training – and that the training is effective in helping save lives
• Increasing funding for the State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program
• Directing the Pentagon to implement non-partisan recommendations to prevent haphazard workforce reductions, after last year’s DOGE cuts

One amendment that Rep. Hoyle’s offered was included in the bill. This amendment directs the Department of Defense to study its military decorations process and report to Congress on ways to ensure award recommendations are handled in a timely, consistent and transparent way.

At press time, the bill had passed in the House, but was stalled in the Senate.

To contact Hallie Greenberg about this story, email office@corvallisadvocate.com