Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this cruel and callous amendment.

Mr. Chair, there are 20 days until the government shuts down. There are 8 legislative days. What are Republicans focused on? They are focused on flags, Pride flags.

Republicans are spending valuable floor time, time that could be used by the government to lower costs for working families.

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Ms. DEXTER. I am not waving it, Mr. Chair.

We are--

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Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Chair, we are wasting valuable time trying to ban the display of Pride flags in any workplace or common area at the Department of Defense. This is time that could be used to fund the government or lower costs for working families.

This obsession with attacking, dehumanizing, and villainizing our LGBTQIA+ community is as sick as it is a waste of time.

Trump is using the same tired playbook authoritarian regimes have used throughout history. He is dehumanizing our most vulnerable to divide us and distract us from the fact of his failure to meaningfully improve the lives of the people he was elected to serve.

Mr. Chair, we see this for what it is, and we refuse to let them win. We will not erase the LGBTQIA+ community.

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