Murphy Statement On Vote Against Senate Passage Of The National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Friday released a statement after voting against passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

"It is wildly irresponsible for the Senate to act like it's business as usual and green light President Trump's 'Department of War' while he is militarizing our cities, threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to crush his political opposition, and violating the Constitution by unilaterally declaring war on undefined targets in the Caribbean without congressional authorization. I have never voted against an NDAA in the Senate and I do not take this vote lightly, but this president views the United States military as his own personal police force. I will not support his efforts to use our men and women in uniform to consolidate power and transform our democracy into an authoritarian regime."