Veasey Introduces PARADE Act to Put an End to President Trump's Authoritarian Fantasies

Statement

Today, Congressman Marc Veasey, a member of the House Armed Services Committee's Tactical Air and Land Subcommittee, introduced H.R. 4980, the Preventing the Allocation of Resources for Absurd Defense Expenditures (PARADE) Act, a bill that would prevent allocating taxpayer dollars on any type of grand military parade requested by the President or the Department of Defense.

In response to media reports that President Trump instructed high-level officials from the Defense Department and White House to organize a military parade that showcases the might of America's armed forces, Congressman Veasey introduced legislation to prevent taxpayer funded resources to bring an authoritarian-inspired show-of-force to life.

"As a strong supporter of our military and their families, I know we are all beyond thankful for the sacrifices our military make on behalf of our country every day. An expensive political ploy whose sole aim is to boost Trump's approval ratings is an insult to their service and detracts from resources needed to provide meaningful assistance to veterans and current service members," Congressman Marc Veasey said.

"At a time of increased global tensions, now is not a time to politicize our troops. Our service members and veterans are best served with substantive actions to support their needs at home and abroad. Increasing military pay, procuring the best military equipment, hiring more VA doctors, helping our military spouses get better employment and their children get better schools are all better investments of our military dollars than flashy parades," Veasey continued.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Veasey advocates for the needs of the nation's veterans and service members in committee and through legislation. During his tenure in Congress, Veasey has introduced bills to promote veteran home ownership, help retiring service members weigh financial options as they exit service, assist veterans pursuing STEM degrees, extends the six months of healthcare and dental coverage provided to our service members released from active duty, and increases access to support services for returning troops and their families as they transition into civilian life.

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