Rep. Omar Introduces Five Amendments to FY 2026 Defense Appropriations Act
WASHINGTON–Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced five amendments to the FY 2026 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. The amendments aim to center human rights; redirect funds to critical medical research; destroy chemical agents and munitions; stop military funding to Israel; fund environmental restoration to clean up hazardous substances, pollutants, and munitions from former defense sites; and prohibit the United States Northern Command from unlawfully operating inside Mexico.
“We have a moral responsibility to reduce our defense budget and invest in our communities,” said Rep. Omar. “It’s way past time we stop writing blank checks for endless wars that only hurt our reputation abroad and do not make us safer. I introduced five amendments to bring us in line with a more just defense budget–one that centers the needs of the American people and addresses past harms. Earlier this month, Congress greenlit an additional $150 billion to our defense budget to fund Trump’s police state. At a time when the United States spends more on our defense than the next nine highest-spending countries combined, it is more important than ever to reorient our budget to address the pressing issues facing our communities instead of appeasing warmongers."
The amendments introduced by Rep. Omar include:
• Omar #122 – transfers $5 million from defense-wide operation and maintenance to defense health programs.
• Omar #123– transfers $5 million from defense-wide operation and maintenance to chemical agents and munitions destruction account.
• Omar #168– strikes military funding to Israel.
• Omar #169– transfers $5 million from Army aircraft procurement to Army environmental restoration.
• Omar #211– strikes the exemption for Executive Order 14167 in the prohibition on Northern Command activities with respect to Mexico.
Additionally, Rep. Omar is cosponsoring the following amendment:
• Gosar #126– prohibits funds to carry out section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
The full text of the amendments is available here.