U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats blocked the Department of Defense (DoD) appropriations bill, which includes important funding for our military personnel, their families, weapons, readiness, and infrastructure projects that contribute to our national security:
“It’s incredible that Senate Democrats would repeatedly block a bill that funds our troops and their families, but even more perplexing since this bill meets the spending level Democrats agreed to just last week,” said Thune. “Today’s filibuster proves that Democrats are willing to risk the safety and security of our armed forces for vague reasons they have yet to fully explain. Senate Republicans have worked in good faith with Democrats to keep this bill moving forward. Democrats must now do their part and abandon this cynical strategy immediately.”
This is the third time this year that Democrats have prevented the Senate from considering the DoD appropriations bill, which garnered broad bipartisan support in committee and complies with the two-year budget deal Congress passed just last week.
