National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

Floor Speech

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Mr. RYAN. Madam Chair, I thank our esteemed ranking member for his leadership.

I am here to speak in strong opposition to the entire bill, but I do have to say: To see folks who have never worn the uniform on this House floor try to fight culture-war BS when we are in the middle of an actual war is a grave, grave disservice to those in uniform.

My opposition to this bill is deeply personal. It is personal to me. Having served 27 months in combat in Iraq, I watched us double down on a losing strategy year after year while my friends and fellow soldiers, many of whose names are on this memorial bracelet I wear, fought and died.

It is personal to the now 18 families who lost their loved ones in this reckless war in Iran--sons, daughters, husbands, wives, somebody's whole world. It is personal to the hundreds more wounded, many carrying injuries that will last their entire lives from this war.

It is personal to the American people, people who are working hard, doing everything that they are asked, while watching the cost of their gas, their groceries, and their utility bills skyrocket; watching the President and Hegseth spend over $100 billion of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars while they continue to flail and fail.

Now they are trying to ask for another $1.5 trillion of my constituents'--our constituents' taxpayer dollars to double down on this reckless, ill-conceived war.

This is a straight-up betrayal from a President, by the way, who promised to end wars, not start wars; a President who has never spent a single day in uniform but is more than willing to send other people's kids to fight in his wars; a President who is now blatantly disregarding the widely held will of the American people and the bipartisan view of this Congress as recognizing the successful passage of a War Powers Resolution by escalating this war rather than winding it down. We can't let that happen.

On behalf of all of our constituents, on behalf of the American people, we have to stop throwing good money after bad. We have to stop repeating the mistakes of the forever wars that my generation fought and served in.

That is why I have been fighting to include my No Funds for Iran War Act in this NDAA, to make sure we don't spend a single penny more on this reckless forever war in the Middle East; to make sure we are investing here at home to lower housing costs, lower grocery costs, lower utility costs, and lower healthcare costs. That is what the American people want. That is what I am fighting for, and that is what my colleagues here are fighting for.

Unfortunately, Mr. Chair, since the majority has refused to include my provision in this bill, I do plan to offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the text of my amendment.

At the end of subtitle A of title XVII, insert the following: SEC. 17__. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FORCE IN OR AGAINST IRAN.

(a) Prohibition on Funding.--None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Defense may be obligated or expended for any use of military force in or against Iran unless Congress has--

(1) declared war on Iran; or

(2) enacted specific statutory authorization for such use of military force after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(b) Exceptions.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not apply to a use of military force that is consistent with section 2(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1541(c)) or that may be necessary to defend the United States or an ally or partner of the United States from imminent attack, provided that the President complies fully with the requirements of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(b)) with respect to any such use of military force.

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Mr. RYAN. Mr. Chair, truly, especially to my colleagues of both parties who have worn the uniform of this country, it is foundational and enshrined in our Constitution that it is this body that has say, not a single, unitary executive, to send us to war.

This legislation is common sense and bipartisan. I urge my colleagues to support it.

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