Congress completed consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA) on May 18, 2012.  The NDAA sets policy for Pentagon programs, wars and nuclear weapons.  The bill is not the appropriation measure that will “write the check” for Pentagon, but it does authorize a dollar amount and sets the policy priorities usually followed by the appropriations measures.

The NDAA debate was marked by the pervasive partisan atmosphere in Congress. Notably a number of amendments were excluded from debate by the Republican leadership. Many of these amendments were about issues where there is a divide among Republicans and there was some possibility to come to bipartisan agreement on issues including Afghanistan troop levels, East Cost Missile Defense and funding added for a nuclear weapons production facility.  Rather than risking that, Republicans simply disallowed full House debate on these amendments.  Almost all amendments that were voted on passed or failed on a partisan basis – leading C-Span commentators to remark that the Democrats have been “steamrolled” by this bill.

Select summary information in highlighted categories –Afghanistan, Pentagon Spending and Nuclear Weapons:

1)     Afghanistan

The NDAA Authorizes keeping tens of thousands of troops in Afghanistan, despite the clear American sentiment from across the political spectrum that approves U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Meanwhile NATO leaders are meeting this weekend in Chicago and transition in Afghanistan will be a key topic.

• Republicans refused to allow this amendment to be debated:  

Accelerate Afghan Transition: Jim McGovern (D-MA),  Walter Jones (R-NC),  Adam Smith (D-WA),  RonPaul (R-TX) (revised) amendment #101 to require an accelerated transition of combat operations from U.S. Armed Forces to Afghanistan no later than the end of 2013; all U.S. forces out by the end of 2014. See CNN  “House Republicans Don’t Allow Vote Forcing Administration to Stick to Afghanistan Timetable”

• This amendment was defeated:

Troops Exit Afghanistan: Barbara Lee (D-CA –WAND-WiLL Woman), Walter Jones (R-NC), John Conyers (D-MI), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA – WAND-WiLL Woman),  PeterWelch (D-VT) amendment #158 to direct spending in Afghanistan only for the safe and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops and military contractors- Defeated 113-303.

• A glimmer of hope …

Look at War Costs - amendments offered by Bruce Braley (D-IA) and John Lewis (D-GA) to look at the long-term costs of war were adopted by voice vote.

2)    Pentagon Spending

The NDAA authorizes spending billions on weapons systems that are unnecessary and unaffordable and in many cases simply unworkable. Overall, the bill sets spending levels that are higher than the agreed to Budget Control Act (BCA), thus allowing unrestricted Pentagon while the House simultaneously slashes funding for schools, food aid programs, road, bridges and more.

• Republicans refused to allow these amendments to be debated:

Pentagon audit- Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Scott Garrett (R-NJ) amendment #91 to require the Pentagon audit no later than September 30, 2017.

Missile Defense amendments including John Garamendi (D-CA) amendment #130 to eliminate the requirement to build an East Coast missile defense site by 2015.

• These amendments to cut back Pentagon spending were defeated:

Terminating the F-35B:  John Conyers (D-MI), Keith Ellison (D-MN) amendment #103 to terminate the F-35B aircraft program –defeated by voice vote .

Missile defense spending:  Jared Polis (D-CO) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) amendment #198 to eliminate the additional $403 million approved by the committee for the Ground Based Midcourse Defense System based in California and Alaska- Failed 165-252.

Pentagon Spending Level: Barbara Lee (D-CA-WAND WiLL Woman) and Barney Frank (D-MA) amendment #131 to limit Pentagon spending to the Budget Control Act level, which is $8.2 billion less than approved by the House Armed Services Committee. Defeated 170-252

And the contrasting Budget Buster award for this bad amendment that was adopted:  Scott Rigell (R-VA) amendment #141 to eliminate the budget sequester for the Pentagon budget- Adopted 220-201

• A glimmer of hope…. 

Pentagon spending on military bands:  Betty McCollum (D-MN – WAND-WiLL Woman) amendment  #9 limiting spending on military bands to $200 million a year. Adopted by voice vote.

3)     Nuclear Weapons

Zealous Cold Warriors ruled the day on nuclear weapons issues. Spending is high – more than what the Administration experts requested and also more than what appropriators in both the Senate and the Republican-led House recommended. House Republicans would also like to prevent the Administration from moving forward with nuclear weapons reductions agreed to under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

• Republicans refused to allow these amendments to be debated:

Nuclear weapons reductions:  Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Loretta Sanchez(D-CA) amendment #221 to provide that the Secretary of Defense shall not be prohibited from proceeding with the planned reductions of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons complex funding:  Jared Polis (D-CO) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) amendment #165 to cut the additional $324 million above the requested level included by the committee for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s weapons activities account.

New Mexico plutonium production facility: Ed Markey (D-MA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Hank Johnson (D-GA) amendment #67 to delete $100 million for the Los Alamos, N.M., nuclear weapons laboratory’s plutonium pit production facility (Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Project).

• These amendments were defeated:

Long-range bomber:  Ed Markey(D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Conyers (D-MI) amendment #64 to delay the development of the new long-range nuclear-capable bomber by ten years- Failed 112-308 .

Nuclear weapons in South Korea:  Hank Johnson (D-GA) amendment #212  to oppose deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea. Failed 160-261.

Nuclear weapons reductions: Hank Johnson (D-GA) amendment #210 to require the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to report to Congress regarding whether nuclear weapons reductions pursuant to the New START Treaty are in the national security interests of the United States. Failed 175-245.

• Dr. Strangelove Awards to these especially bad amendments that were adopted:

Non-proliferation funding in Russia: Trent Franks (R-AZ) amendment #10 to limit non-proliferation spending in Russia -Adopted 241-181, and Doug Lamborn (R-CO) amendment #88 to limit non-proliferation spending in Russia until Russia stops helping Syria, Iran, North Korea, although the Secretary of Energy is provided waiver authority.  Adopted by voice vote.

Nuclear weapons reductions and maintaining the nuclear triad: Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Lummis (R-WY) to ban any reductions to the strategic nuclear triad unless the Secretary of Defense certifies that: 1) further reductions in the Russia Federation’s arsenal are needed for compliance with New START limits; and 2) Russia is not developing or deploying nuclear delivery systems capable of reaching the U.S. not covered by New START limits. Would also protect all three legs of the nuclear triad from elimination. Adopted 238-162.

• A glimmer of hope….

Nuclear weapons costs: Larsen, Rick (D-WA)-Sanchez, Loretta (D-CA) amendment #220 to require a report on the costs of maintaining and modernizing the nuclear deterrent. Adopted by voice vote.

Real glimmer of hope - elections??

-Kathy Crandall Robinson, Public Policy Director

While in Afghanistan, the delegation spoke with President Karzai, General John Allen of the International Security Assistance Force, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker about security issues and progress in the country. They also spent time at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul learning about legal and social issues, including women’s issues, in Afghanistan. They visited several other areas of Afghanistan and met with troops in the field. While in the war-torn Helmand province, the delegation attended a Mother’s Day celebration at Camp Leatherneck with mothers who are also servicemembers.

This trip is particularly relevant in light of the history of Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day was born out of the idea that women should play an important role in peace-making. Julia Ward Howe first called for the holiday as a pacifist reaction to the Civil War, and she encouraged all women and mothers to speak out on behalf of peace.

Including both Afghan and American women in the movement towards peace was an important part of the mission of this Mother’s Day trip. Congresswoman Pelosi said, “On every occasion, our delegation stressed the importance of Afghan women being involved in security decisions,” while Congresswoman Maloney commented, “I was honored to visit our extraordinarily courageous and dedicated servicemembers in Afghanistan – and I was heartened to learn about our efforts to bring them home as safely and as quickly as possible.”

As Congresswoman Sewell said, “To all our mothers far and near, Happy Mother’s Day!”

-Hayley Anderson, Intern - Northeastern Class of 2015

On May 16, Congress will begin to debate the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (NDAA). Please urge your U.S. Representative to vote for amendments to cut spending on unnecessary Cold War programs that military experts say we don’t need and can’t afford. Among possible amendments, we expect these to be considered  this week:

1. Cut funds for a new bomb plant: We expect Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) to offer an amendment that will cancel funding for a new nuclear bomb plant in New Mexico. The Obama administration wants to postpone construction on this facility for at least five years. Experts from the Defense Department and National Nuclear Security Administration have testified that it is currently unnecessary. The appropriations committees in the House and Senate both agreed with Administration. Neither of these money-focused committees added funds for this new bomb plant. There is no need for the plant and it would cost more than $5 billion to complete.
2. Cut funds for a new unworkable missile defense scheme: We expect Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) to offer an amendment that will cancel funding for a proposed new East Coast missile defense. This would cost uncalculated billions (estimates are that we have spent more than $30 billion on the still-not-working West Coast Missile Defense) and would use technology that has failed multiple tests. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on May 10 that the site is unnecessary.

Please call your U.S. Representative today and ask her or him to oppose spending billions for unnecessary Cold War weapons we don’t’ need and can’t afford. Calls must be placed by Wednesday, May 16!

Call your representative through the capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. If you don't know who your representative is, please click here.

The following is a suggested message you can use when you call:

"My name is ____ and I live in _____. I am calling to ask Rep. ____ to vote for amendments to the Defense Authorization bill that cut excessive spending on a nuclear weapons bomb plant and unworkable East Coast missile defense."

Please call your representative today and keep their phones ringing off the hook!

Don’t let them slip billions of dollars in wasteful funding under the radar!

DeGette serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, where she is a ranking member on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. She is a Chief Deputy Whip, having previously declined the opportunity to run for House Majority Whip. DeGette participates in a number of caucuses, including as co-chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus and Pro-Choice Caucus and as Vice Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus. She has also been appointed to the House Page Board and served as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008. During Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, DeGette acted as co-chair of her Health Care Policy Task Force.

DeGette has been a dedicated advocate of women’s rights, including the rights of Afghan women. While in the Colorado state legislature, she authored a bill requiring that women be granted unimpeded access to clinics and medical facilities. During her time in Congress, she has fought for women’s health care. In 2009, DeGette traveled with a group of Congresswomen to Afghanistan in order to learn more about the situation there, especially the status of women. After the trip, she said, “As a full partner in the international community, the Afghan government must respect women’s rights... While we must support Afghanistan as it builds the infrastructure and institutions that will allow the country to more effectively engage the global community, we must also insist that the government respect the rights of all people.”

Throughout her time in Congress, DeGette has persistently campaigned for the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has always encouraged ending the violence and instead spending some of the funds on domestic causes such as FEMA and Medicaid. After the end of the war in Iraq was announced, she said, “Having opposed the original Iraq war authorization in 2002, I am pleased with today’s announcement that U.S. troops will withdraw fully from Iraq by the end of the year.  Our engagement in Iraq has been a testament to the unflappable courage of our men and women in uniform, but it has also proven costly – claiming far too many lives and misdirecting critical military and financial resources from where they were most needed.”

WAND/WiLL is proud to acknowledge Congresswoman DeGette’s achievements and her work advocating for women’s rights and peace.

-Hayley Anderson, Intern - Northeastern Class of 2015

"While we need a long term commitment to Afghanistan, that commitment should be to making peace and creating a civil society that represents all Afghan people, especially women whose voices are paramount in creating a lasting peace,” said Win Without War Co-Chair Susan Shaer. “We should end this war now. The people of Afghanistan are just as tired of war as Americans and we simply cannot afford the costs in both blood and treasure."

The full statement is available on the Win Without War website.

More information about WAND's work on the war in Afghanistan is available here.

Stabenow has served as secretary of the Democratic caucus and as chair of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, both of which are very high-ranking positions within the party. She chairs the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy. She also participates in the Committee on the Budget, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Committee on Finance. She has previously served on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Special Committee on Aging.

Stabenow has been a valuable advocate for issues relating to peace and women. She voted against the war in Iraq and encouraged its end. She has also shown her support for important women’s issues. On April 17^th this year, Equal Pay Day, Stabenow made a statement to draw attention to the issue: “Everyone in our great country should have the confidence that they will be paid fairly for a hard day's work… In 2012, women had to work more than four extra months to get paid the same as men… It is critical that we continue the important work started in 2009 with the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to make sure every American has the opportunity to earn a paycheck based on the job they do.”

WAND/WiLL is very proud of our long history with Senator Stabenow. In the eighties, Stabenow traveled to the USSR with a group of women state legislators that included a legislator from Massachusetts who helped found WiLL. Later, when Stabenow won her election for the U.S. Senate with WAND PAC’s support, WAND board chair Arlene Victor gave her a chair pin in celebration. The pin is shaped like a chair to symbolize women taking seats at the table of power. Stabenow went on to give Nancy Pelosi a chair pin, as she rose through the ranks in the House.

WAND/WiLL is happy to acknowledge Senator Stabenow’s achievements and her work advocating for both peace and women’s rights.

-Hayley Anderson, Intern - Northeastern Class of 2015

Month after month the debate goes on, there seem to be no solutions, and the war talk continues to heat up. WAND and every peace group in the country firmly condemn the continual threat of bombing Iran’s nuclear sites by either the U.S. or Israel.

The Wall Street Journal had a front page article this week about how “U.S. firepower would vie with Iran’s Guerrilla Tactics,” and showed drawings of how our large warships might have to react to their small ones. Readers can watch a video online about these projected battles in “The Persian Gulf Matchup.”

Arguments against a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities are convincing: it wouldn’t do enough damage to the program, it would kill Iranian civilians, it would strengthen their support for the present regime, it would further support the belief that they need nuclear weapons to protect themselves. It could lead to a wider Middle Eastern war. And with 40% of the world’s oil coming through the Straits of Harmuz, the economic repercussions would be huge.

So what are the options today? The U.S. should continue to arrange talks and put pressure on Israel not to take action. Promoting communication with other Arab nations and the U.N. has to continue. If ever there was a time to substitute talk for bombs, this is it.

If we take a longer view, Iran wants to be admitted to the company of other nations, not treated more and more like a “rogue” nation. There are historical reasons why Iranians can claim they have been badly treated by western powers. How can they not feel threatened by the nuclear weapons of those powers, and specifically by those of Israel?

This is when WAND can point to the urgent need to get back to plans previously agreed to for reducing our own nuclear arsenal. There are signs that non-nuclear countries are losing patience. Recently, Brazil offered to put pressure on Iran to modify its nuclear program.

Politics deeply affect war and peace decisions, making the situation in Iran even more confusing. There, the leadership is split. Iran’s spiritual leader, Khomenei, has made an edict prohibiting nuclear weapons in opposition to President Ahmajinedad’s pugnacious bluster. In the U.S., Republican candidates and the media continually pound on what they call “weakness” in terms of any efforts at negotiations by our administration. We need a foreign policy that transcends politics, but that is even more impossible in an election year.

Recent talks in Istanbul show some hope and more talks are planned. Foreign policy experts are now saying there can be a workable deal to slow down any Iranian efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. U.S. public opinion is overwhelmingly against another war, and surely Iranian citizens dread it just as much. It’s up to groups like WAND to make the alternatives to war loud and clear.

-Sayre Sheldon, NGO Representative for WAND at the U.N.

Murray is the Senate Majority Conference Secretary, which makes her the highest-ranking woman in the Senate and one of the highest-ranking Democrats. She is Chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. She also chairs several subcommittees and participates in other committees, including the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on the Budget. In 2011, she was appointed to Co-chair the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or “Super Committee."

Murray has long been an advocate for peace and wise spending choices. She was one of twenty-one Senate Democrats to vote against the Iraq war in 2002. She said at the time, “But what happens after the war? That will have as big an impact on our future peace and security… Our economy is reeling, our budget is in deficit, and we have no estimate of the cost of rebuilding.” When the economy crashed and the government bailed out Wall Street, she commented, “But this is not the time to tell America's families, ‘Sorry, you're on your own.’” Throughout her time in the Senate, she has put a significant amount of effort into directing funds to education, veterans’ health care, environmental protection, and other domestic causes.

Murray has also experienced first-hand the need for more women in politics. As the only woman on a “Super Committee” panel that tried and failed to create a plan to reduce the deficit, Murray stated they could have succeeded in the task if there had been more women involved. She said, “Women in the room are much more task oriented. They are willing to make tough decisions. They want to get the job done, rather than having it be a political debate for years.” Over the years, Murray has made strides in convincing more women to run for office. She says, “We need diversity in the Senate, and we need people who come to the job who really want to make a difference for their country. And when I look out across the country, I see women who understand that.”

WAND/WiLL is proud to acknowledge Senator Murray’s accomplishments and her work advocating for smart budget choices, peace, and women in politics.

-Hayley Anderson, Intern - Northeastern Class of 2015

McCollum serves on both the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on the Budget, which is very unusual. In addition to these assignments, she serves as Senior Whip, co-founded the Congressional Global Health Caucus and the Quality Care Coalition, and participates in several caucuses, including the International Conservation Caucus. She is only the second woman elected to represent Minnesota in Congress.

McCollum is a strong advocate for women around the world. Recently when President Obama was contemplating a nominee for the World Bank, she urged him to choose someone who would have "focus, understanding, and a commitment to advancing the interests and well-being of women and girls." She has sponsored and co-sponsored countless bills that benefit women, including bills that fight against child marriage in foreign countries, protect Native American women, and improve treatment of heart problems in women. She has also studied how the Affordable Care Act will help women in the U.S. In her time in Congress, McCollum has never failed to protect women’s rights.

McCollum is also a valuable advocate for peace and security issues, including reductions to unnecessary military spending. On Monday, she received WiLL’s letter from women state legislators that urges Congress to cut military spending. She responded, “It is not acceptable for House Republicans to pass a ‘millionaires manifesto’ that showers millionaires and billionaires with tax breaks and other benefits, and protect billions in oil company subsidies and wasteful Pentagon spending, while abandoning the middle class and local communities.”

Last year, McCollum introduced amendments to reduce Pentagon spending on things like military bands and NASCAR car sponsorship that have little to do with national security. McCollum is a powerful ally of WAND/WiLL, and we are excited to have her working on behalf of this important cause.

WAND/WiLL is proud to acknowledge Congresswoman McCollum’s achievements and her work advocating for women’s rights and peace.

This post was written by WAND DC intern Hayley Anderson, Northeastern Class of 2015.

More than half of the women state legislators in Minnesota request a reduction in military spending in a letter presented to Congresswoman McCollum.

Yesterday at her district office, Congresswoman McCollum received a letter from more than half of the women state legislators of Minnesota that calls for a reduction in military spending. The letter was presented by Minnesota state Senators Sandy Pappas and Mary Jo McGuire and state Representative Phyllis Kahn.

“It is not acceptable for House Republicans to pass a “millionaires manifesto” that showers millionaires and billionaires with tax breaks and other benefits, and protect billions in oil company subsidies and wasteful Pentagon spending, while abandoning the middle class and local communities,” said Congresswoman McCollum. “Washington should be a partner for opportunity an economic growth for our entire country by investing in education, basic research, modern infrastructure and clean energy.”

The letter points out that military spending will comprise about 56 percent of the discretionary budget in the coming year, and that deeper cuts to other areas of the discretionary budget will do little to alleviate the federal deficit and cause catastrophic cuts to the social safety net. It also calls attention to the Pentagon’s lack of budgetary discipline and inability to conduct an audit. The letter was an initiative of the Women Legislator’s Lobby (WiLL), a national network of women state legislators who work together to influence federal policy and budget priorities, for which State Senator Sandy Pappas serves as vice president.

“Congresswoman McCollum has been a great ally in shining a light on wasteful, unnecessary Pentagon spending, and we want her to keep up that fight this year,” said Pappas. “We should spend what we need to keep our nation safe and secure, and we must support our troops. But we cannot afford to keep wasting money on things like an outdated excessive nuclear arsenal and weapons systems the Pentagon does not want or need. Scarce dollars can be better spent investing in programs that keep us economically secure; things like education, infrastructure, and health care.”

WiLL is a program of Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women to act politically to reduce violence and militarism, and redirect excessive military resources toward unmet human and environmental needs. In delivering this letter, WAND hopes to encourage Congresswoman McCollum’s work to reduce extreme military spending through her efforts on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other relevant agencies.