During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2943), Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) introduced an amendment that would authorize an additional $18 billion in overseas contingency operations for domestic programs. Part of the $18 billion includes $1.1 billion to combat heroin and opioid addiction, $1.9 billion to implement an integrated campaign plan to counter ISIS, and $1.9 billion to treat the Zika virus and prevent Zika outbreaks.
The Senate did not vote directly on Reed’s amendment but on a motion to invoke cloture (and thus limit debate) so the amendment could come up for a vote. The motion to invoke cloture was rejected on June 9, 2016 by a vote of 43 to 55 (Roll Call 95). We have assigned pluses to the nays because funding overseas contingency operations for domestic programs is not “defense” spending and does not belong in the NDAA. The federal government has no constitutional authority to engage in such spending for operations in other countries, and using American taxpayer dollars in an attempt to fight drugs and disease is inappropriate.
