cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/22237
Despite months of warnings from party members up and down the caucus that President Donald Trump has been “lawless,” "destructive, and “authoritarian” in his wielding of power both domestically and abroad, 149 Democratic members of the US House of Representatives on Thursday night joined with 192 Republicans to pass a sweeping military spending bill—a vote that progressive critics say exposes the fecklessness and hypocrisy of what claims to be an opposition party.
The 341-88 passage of the $828.7 billion fiscal 2026 military spending bill came over the objections of progressives who warned that the bill—now headed to the US Senate for final passage as soon as next week—is a tacit endorsement of the president’s policies, even as he has ordered federal agents to terrorize US cities, deployed US soldiers on domestic soil in the face of lawful protests, threatened to annex Greenland and other nations by force, and conducted overseas military operations—including overt acts of war over the last year against both Iran and Venezuela—without congressional notification, authorization, or oversight.
“If an opposition party votes like this, it’s not in opposition. It may not even be a party,” said Stephen Semler, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, a foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC.
— (@)
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), ranking member of the House Rules Committee who voted naye on the appropriations bill, said ahead of the vote that he looked “at the defense appropriations bill as maybe the last opportunity to prevent this administration from doing something crazy in Greenland or attacking NATO or doing something that we all know is a bad thing to do.”
Earlier on Thursday, the Republican-controlled committee blocked an attempt by Democrats to secure a vote on an amendment to the military spending bill that would have explicitly prohibited the invasion of a NATO ally.
Passage of the military spending bill followed an early House vote on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, in which seven Democrats joined Republicans to get it over the line.
While 149 Democrats voted for the $840 military spending bill, 64 Democrats voted against it.
“Republicans want money for unchecked, unaccountable, unconstitutional military action around the world,” said Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-Il), explaining her vote against the bill. “And over half of the Pentagon budget goes to corporations that profit from pain, war, and genocide.”
“You know how they get this done?” Ramirez continued. “By using working families’ needs as a bargaining chip, tying the minimum funding working families need to survive to the maximum funding they can give their billionaire friends.”
“As long as we are funding imperialism and authoritarianism while working people can’t afford the high cost of living,” she said, “I will stand opposed.”
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Leader of the “opposition” party in the House
Jeffries (NY)- Yea
half of the democrat representatives in minnesota voted in favor
Craig Democratic Minnesota Nay
McCollum Democratic Minnesota Yea
Morrison Democratic Minnesota Yea
Omar Democratic Minnesota Nay
Trump is cutting federal funding for most of these fuckers’ districts, and these slimy scumbags can’t even withhold their votes
The gears of imperialism and oppression must keep on grinding, no matter what.
Their homes could be targeted with explosives by chuds, and they’d still continue voting in service of the empire.
When does voting blue actually stop bad things from happening? Can a Democrat please explain?
When all federal and state chambers are 100% filled by Democrats and the last Republican appointed judge has died their work can begin.
Assuming the parliamentarian says it’s ok, that is.
“authoritarian” is the worst libertarian meme of all time. The important difference between governments is who they work for— all states are class dictatorships, either ownership class or working class. Putting them on an “authority” scale implies that all governments are somehow separate from the people, and in the same degree.
—licensed_che_shirt
While it is fitting here, I do wish we could ban the use of “authoritarian”. I hate it.
Edit: And I mean at a societal level, not on the site. Also on the site, but much more everywhere else
Right? Power isn’t bad, it’s what you do with power that matters
It’s also a completely meaningless descriptor. Every state is authoritarian
The libs are seeing an opportunity to use Trump against the “extremist elements” that have been winning over mainstream Dems in local elections.
But give it a few years and then career democrats will act like they were the ones out there getting tear gassed by ICE.
“Anyway, vote blue next election to fix all of this”
-Very serious people
Trump is just waiting for an excuse to deploy the military to enact martial law!!!1!
Now excuse me while I increase the funding of that military
With democrats like these, who needs republicans?
to protect democracy.L E S S E R
E V I L
At this point I’m weirdly angry on behalf of democrats for the median voter.
Look at how hard dems try to be what the average American voter wants and to give them what they want. They’re the dogged nice guy for American voters and Americans still vote Republican. Where’s your fucking gratitude?
Looks like the strategy of voting Republican worked for them then.
I thought the budget passed a trillion dollars last year in the big bill? That was just for last year? They dropped 200 billion in Ice seperately in that bill. More money than any military gets save china and the US.
DespiteExcited by Authoritarian Warnings,
