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WASHINGTON — Win Without War Advocacy Director Erica Fein released the following statement regarding House passage of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): 

“The House of Representatives took a giant leap forward today in advancing a more progressive U.S. foreign policy agenda and rebuking Donald Trump’s destructive actions that have only made the world less safe. 

“Today, the House stood up to Trump’s march toward war with Iran, unequivocally demanded an end to his support for the Saudi/UAE-led war in Yemen, moved toward ending our forever wars by repealing the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force against Iraq, offered solutions to achieve peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, blocked his dangerous new gateway nuke, and said that banning transgender troops from military service is not who we are. 

“These are big progressive victories. However, we cannot let the elephant in the room go unnoticed: the House NDAA’s topline authorization of $733 billion for defense spending is grotesque. We simply cannot afford to throw more and more money at the Pentagon—and in turn, defense industry CEOs—while it continues to waste taxpayer dollars by the tens of billions, and while other priorities like health care, education, and climate change continue to remain underfunded. 

“The House also made efforts to rein in Trump’s racist and inhumane immigration policies by barring money for his border wall. But we’re disappointed that several amendments to block the further militarization of our southern border were defeated.

“We will continue the fight to rein in the waste, fraud, abuse, and unaccountable spending at the Pentagon. But there can be no doubt that, with today’s passage of the House FY2020 NDAA, progressives inside and outside of Congress are fighting—and winning—to demilitarize and humanize U.S. foreign policy.”

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Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and national organizations working for progressive foreign policy in the United States.