U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen said this year's defense policy bill costs too much — at the same time he hopes the legislation's funding protects military installations in Central Illinois.
The House version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] would authorize $1.5 trillion for the Department of Defense. It would be the largest defense budget in U.S. history.
"This is outrageous," the Moline Democrat said during a stop in Peoria Tuesday. "I think what this does is it sheds a light on what this administration is doing in Iran — shooting down $40,000 drones with $4 million missiles. Those are American taxpayer dollars that they are wasting.
"They're saying with this NDAA that the American people are now going to have to foot the bill for them going off to war that nobody wanted, and so that's the reason why, when the [procedural vote] NDAA came up, I voted against it," Sorensen added.
The measure has stalled in the House. A procedural vote to bring it to the floor failed before the July 4 recess, when a group of Republicans broke with leadership, leaving the bill's timeline unclear.
Rock Island Arsenal
Sorensen sits on the House Armed Services Committee and said although he had issues with the budget his focus has been protecting the Rock Island Arsenal and the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria.
That committee writes the NDAA each year, and members can add provisions during the markup.
"We were happy to be able to get some funding here to secure it," Sorensen said of the Arsenal. "As we add value to these assets in our region — and they are historical — it means that we can stave off BRAC if that would ever happen in the future."
BRAC refers to the federal Base Realignment and Closure process, which can shutter or shrink military installations.
"That's my goal today, is to add that value, because that means that we're going to keep that here in town," he said Tuesday.
In a June statement announcing his committee vote, Sorensen's office said provisions he secured in the bill include a ban on hiring freezes for Arsenal and depot workers and limits on funding to implement President Trump's collective bargaining ban for civilian employees.
"In this year's NDAA, I was proud to secure investments in Rock Island Arsenal while protecting the future of its workforce," Sorensen said in the statement.
