Defense
I am a supporter of a strong national defense, at home and abroad. I firmly believe that we should do everything in our power to redirect taxpayer money away from unnecessary military construction projects abroad in places like Afghanistan, and instead invest in construction projects here at home - rebuilding our roads, bridges, ports, waterways, and sewer systems. We need to invest in education, basic medical and health research, and human development, and to generate desperately needed good-paying jobs for middle-class Americans, including America’s veterans, the brave men and women whom we put into harm's way to protect and serve us.
To that end, I successfully authored and passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015 (NDAA) to prevent future fraud and abuse of taxpayer money on construction projects in Afghanistan. According to the Special Inspector General to Afghanistan and Iraq, since 2002, our government has spent more than $100 billion in construction projects in those two countries - $60 billion of which is completely unaccounted for. Up to $79 billion more has been authorized for new construction projects, many of which fall outside our scope of oversight. Because U.S. troops in Afghanistan must stay within inspection zone boundaries that assure them quick access to medical care, they are unable to supervise and guarantee that funds for these projects are being used for the intended purposes.
My amendment prohibits the construction of any project over $500,000 without submitting a report to Congress assuring proper auditing and oversight. It was supported by 23 organizations under the banner of the Project on Government Oversight. For more about my amendment, read my press release here, or watch the clip below:
In 2013, I voted to double the funding to specifically hire more Veterans Affairs claims processors and eliminate the notorious backlog at the VA. I also voted to fully fund the National Guard, as well as increase funding for Minnesota's National Guard at Camp Ripley, and the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, to maintain adequate equipment and weaponry for their facilities. My "Rebuilding America" Amendment, which received wide bipartisan support, to the FY14 National Defense Authorization Act sent a clear message to the entire country: our priorities must be redirected homeward.
This year, I have voted to increased funding for veterans benefits and services by $156 billion over the next ten years, as well as to grant full veterans status to National Guard reserve members who have served their country for 20 years. I have also worked to pass provisions that would add protections for veterans with mental health issues, as well as establish the Veterans Economic Opportunity Administration, an agency that would better train veterans for the workforce upon their return home.
Click here for more information on my work to support our nation's veterans.
More on Defense
Of all the outrageous ways our taxpayer dollars have been wasted in pursuit of wars of choice, nothing comes even close to recent press accounts that we have been paying “ghosts” - 50,000 non-existent soldiers - to battle ISIL in Iraq.
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) –U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan took to the Floor of the House Tuesday afternoon, urging his colleagues to reject a measure that could lead to an estimated $5 billion in annual military training, equipment and supplies to the Syrian rebel faction calling itself the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to battle the ISIL insurgency that has overtaken large parts of both Syria and Iraq.
WASHINGTON — Rick Nolan’s message on the complex and often confusing situation for the United States in providing $5 billion annually to train the Syrian Free Army to go after the monstrous Islamic State fighters matches his consistent position on American involvement in the Middle East.
A letter issued Wednesday by a top leader of the Free Syrian Army makes it clear that its fighters intend to use U.S. aid to fight not only ISIS but the forces of Bashar al-Assad, regardless of a reluctance by the Obama administration to publicly acknowledge that fact. The letter – issued as Congress began voting on aid and assistance to the rebels – affirms “the Free Syrian Army’s continued commitment to removing the twin terrorists Bashar al-Assad and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from Syrian soil,” and directly calls upon the U.S. Congress to help them accomplish that task.
WASHINGTON D.C. -- U. S. Congressman Rick Nolan (DFL-Duluth) is speaking out against a five-billion-dollar measure that would provide military training, equipment and supplies to Syrian rebels.
WASHINGTON — An unusual but overwhelming coalition in the House voted Wednesday to authorize the training and arming of Syrian rebels to confront the militant Islamic State, backing President Obama after he personally pleaded for support.
The 273-to-156 vote was over a narrow military measure with no money attached, but it took on outsize importance and was infused with drama, reflecting the tension and ambiguity of members wary of the ultimate path to which any war vote could lead.
(DULUTH, MN) – Further U.S. military escalation in Syria and Iraq must not be undertaken without the expressed, constitutionally required, approval of Congress, U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan said today.
Speaking at a news conference in Duluth, Nolan asserted, “Any such ill-conceived escalation would prove to be a tragic and unnecessary waste of blood and treasure for the United States.”
Nolan, who was widely recognized for his leadership a year ago in successfully urging President Obama to bring the question of U.S. air strikes against Syria to Congress for a vote, continued:
Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com) --- Rep. Rick Nolan (D - Minn.) is urging President Barack Obama to resist military involvement in the Syrian conflicts.
"I directed Secretary Hagel and our joint chiefs of staff to prepare a range of options," President Obama said Thursday.
One day after President Obama acknowledged that he is considering military action against the Islamic militant group known as ISIS, Rep. Nolan urged the President to not make a unilateral decision to escalate American military involvement without the approval and consent of the United States Congress.