Congress Torpedoes Common-Sense Military Policy Backed By Trump White House, Liz Warren

Washington, D.C., lobbyists once again bullied Congress into supporting stupidity and grift. Once again, the taxpayers and common sense lost, while the defense contractors and bureaucracy won big.

The right to repair in the U.S. military is an issue that has drawn broad bipartisan scrutiny. If U.S. military equipment breaks in the field, our service members cannot always fix it right away. Whether it’s something as complicated as a fighter jet or a drone, in lots of cases, the military is required to bring in a qualified repairman, approved by the manufacturer, to come out to the site, say, a naval ship, and fix the problem. Right of repair would give the military the power to do it themselves. (RELATED: Here’s A Stunning List Of Delays And Waste By Defense Contractors)

“For decades, the Pentagon has relied on a broken acquisition system that is routinely defended by career bureaucrats and corporate interests,” Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy said in a joint statement in July when they introduced legislation.

“Military right to repair reforms are supported by the Trump White House, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and our brave service members. The only ones against this common-sense reform are those taking advantage of a broken status quo at the expense of our warfighters and taxpayers.”

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – NOVEMBER 29: The Pentagon is seen from a flight taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on November 29, 2022, in Arlington, Virginia. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense and the world’s largest office building. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Of course, the military would love to cut out the costly middlemen and give service members the materials and tools to fix the problems. Common sense, right? But, as Warren and Sheehy pointed out, the defense contractors want to squeeze out as much money as possible from the military and U.S. taxpayers. They are opposed to it, which is why, in November, they deployed an army of lobbyists to Capitol Hill to persuade Republican Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, and Democratic Washington Rep. Adam Smith, a ranking member, to nix the provisions.

And it worked.

The House Armed Services Committee unveiled the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Dec. 7, following long discussions that delayed the bill’s completion until the end of the year.

During the reconciliation process between the Senate and House versions, several sections changed. Notably, provisions concerning the right to repair — Section 836 of the Senate draft and Section 863 of the House draft — were dropped.

Additionally, Section 1832 from the House version was also cut out. This section was a point of dispute for repair advocates concerned about a possible “data-as-a-service” model that would force the military to adopt subscription-based repair services with defense contractors, Wired reported.

If you were to explain right to repair to any American, whether they were die-hard, anti-war activists or military brats whose fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers all attended the Citadel, they would all agree: it’s common-sense policy. It’s practical and helps the military and the taxpayer. Why have a middleman? Why more profiteering and red tape? R or D, left-wing or right-wing, anyone in between, would want the military to have the right to repair.

Except for lobbyists, of course, and their bosses, the defense contractors, and the lawmakers in Congress who claim to represent the people but actually represent the .001%. For them, the right to repair should not exist. It makes too much sense and does not line their pockets.