By Congressman JOSH BRECHEEN

On Wednesday, I voted “no” on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027. While I support providing for a robust national defense, I could not in good conscience vote for this legislation as it authorizes a $263.4 billion (29.6 percent) increase over the authorized level for the previous fiscal year. Looking to history, we know that once a level of spending is authorized, appropriators will rarely provide less funding than the maximum allowed. Furthermore, departmental funding baselines almost never decrease over time.