WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA) today released the following statement in regards to her opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023:

“We can support our troops without giving big defense contractors multi-billion-dollar handouts funded by taxpayers. While I’m proud that several of my proposals to better protect servicemembers and root out corruption were included in this year’s defense bill, I could not in good conscience vote to expand the agency’s already-bloated budget to $839 billion—tens of billions more than even the Pentagon and the President identified as necessary for our national security. As a taxpayer advocate, I refuse to rubber stamp waste, fraud, and abuse at any level of government.”

A member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Porter has consistently worked to hold government accountable to taxpayers, even if it means standing up to leaders of both parties. She successfully amended the House-passed FY 2022 NDAA to increase transparency at the Pentagon. She has also called out big defense contractors for defrauding taxpayers, and has demanded answers directly from Defense Secretary Llyod Austin regarding the Department of Defense’s failure to deliver certain reports to Congress as required by law.

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