Performative politics found Democrats aiming to twist the annual defense bill into talking points against President Donald Trump’s agenda with scores of futile amendments.
In keeping with the traditional congressional calendar, as the end of the fiscal year draws near, lawmakers are ready to bloat must-pass legislation with their personal pet projects. This is especially true of the minority side of the aisle, as out of some 450 amendments proposed for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), many are considered “symbolic in nature” as they run wholly contrary to the administration and the GOP’s efforts.
“Among them are measures dealing with diversity, Israel funding, and Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration,” reported Fox News as the bill reached the House Rules Committee Monday afternoon to prepare for a floor vote later this week.
The usual suspects of radical rabble-rousers took full advantage of the political theater, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D), who was booted from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the previous Congress.
She promoted her 10 amendments added to the NDAA on X, many of which aligned with her negative views of Israel that got her accused of antisemitism in the past. In addition to aiming to remove the establishment of tech partnerships with Israel, Omar sought to end arms sales to nations accused of “transnational repression” against American citizens, to repeal the War Reserve Stockpile Authority of Israel, and to repeal sanction statutes on Syria.
Congress is preparing to send the Pentagon nearly $1 TRILLION to defense contractors and endless wars.
That’s why I introduced 10 amendments to:
✅ Cut $150 billion in wasteful Pentagon spending
✅ Center human rights in our foreign policy pic.twitter.com/ydk5PQjqHx— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) September 8, 2025
Meanwhile, Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost (D) sought to cripple efforts at border security, calling for a prohibition on the use of Defense Department funds toward detaining and processing illegal aliens.
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) had three amendments listed that sought to prohibit the construction of new illegal alien detention facilities, allow for remote work for certain government employees, and remove the NDAA’s prohibition of funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Elsewhere on the DEI front, Democratic Reps. Luz Rivas of California and Jill Tokuda of Hawaii teamed up to ban the block of such programs at the Pentagon, and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas aimed to safeguard military records of the gender confused by blocking funds from amending those files.
A number of leftist lawmakers, including California’s Rep. Eric Swalwell and Washington’s Pramila Jayapal, have cosponsored an amendment to bar the use of the National Guard in safeguarding American communities from violent criminal illegal aliens.
Additionally, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) appeared to be selling out America’s national sovereignty as she sought to make the country’s use of funds for sales to foreign militaries contingent upon whether or not the International Criminal Court had issued arrest warrants or if there were cases before the International Court of Justice.
There was also an amendment introduced by the Hamas-sympathizing lawmaker that leveraged the terrorist groups use of human shields by attempting to prohibit providing security assistance to any country — in this case Israel — that used military force against “a medical facility, the UN, a refugee camp, aid workers, or journalists,” or, “has committed or aided in the commission of the crime of forcible transfer, or impeded the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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