Rep. Stansbury Votes "NO" on National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON D.C. — Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) released the following statement after voting "NO" on the annual National Defense Authorization Act of 2025: 

"In New Mexico, we have a long and proud history of military service, and we honor our service members and veterans every day. I am proud of the bipartisan work on the National Defense Authorization Act this year, which has yielded significant wins for New Mexico, including a long-overdue pay raise of 3.8% for our service members, funding for Kirtland Air Force Base, and language we secured to hold DOD and DOE accountable for the cleanup of munitions on tribal lands, including at Isleta Pueblo. I am also grateful for bipartisan negotiations that removed some of the more harmful provisions in the bill, increased oversight over the Administration’s DOD activities, and restored funding for our European allies against Russian aggression, which the Administration zeroed out.

"However, as a Member of the House Oversight Committee, I cannot in good conscience vote for a bill that authorizes over $900 billion in military spending while the President has turned his back on our allies in his National Security Strategy, is deploying U.S. troops on U.S. soil, and his Secretary of Defense is being investigated for potentially illegal strikes and military build-up in the Caribbean. Furthermore, the discriminatory thumbprint of this White House is evident throughout this bill with the inclusion of anti-transgender language, the removal of coverage for IVF, and continued attacks on diversity across our nation’s proud service members.

"As such, I am grateful for the good that will come from provisions that will help New Mexico, but I must vote no in these extraordinary times, as this bill fails to rein in a President and Defense Secretary who are daily defying the Constitution, law, and values of this country."

###