One of the proudest moments of my life was the first time I laced up my boots, put on my uniform and raised my right hand to salute as a member of the Illinois Army National Guard.
I was honored to wear the flag on my shoulder. To be trusted to keep the country I love safe and defend the rights and freedoms that have defined this nation at its best for two centuries and counting.
And it is because it was such an honor to serve, because I love our military so deeply, that I made the incredibly difficult choice to vote against the defense authorization bill — something I’ve never done before. But I simply could not enable President Donald Trump — someone who cried “bone spurs” when his nation asked him to serve in uniform — to continue misusing our troops for his own gain, to our country’s detriment.
Because it was such an honor to serve, because I love our military so deeply, I made the incredibly difficult choice to vote against the defense authorization bill.
Right now, Trump has deployed thousands of troops across the country under false pretenses. In Washington, D.C, the National Guard has been performing missions that don’t help with their military training — like spreading mulch and picking up trash — but that, as we tragically saw over Thanksgiving, carry very real risks for our service members.
And while I agree that safety in our communities is paramount, these deployments do not make our streets, our families or our nation safer. Just the opposite.
The president’s reaction to people peacefully protesting his inhumane policies has been to invade those cities with military troops, claiming that Americans nonviolently exercising their constitutional rights pose a national security threat.
We know this isn’t about “law and order.” If he truly cared about law and order, the president wouldn’t have quite literally defunded our police by freezing and slashing at least $800 million in federal dollars that helps hire, train and equip law enforcement and invest in public safety programs. And if he truly respected law and order, he wouldn’t be ignoring the growing number of federal judges who’ve deemed his domestic deployments illegal.
One judge found that the Department of Homeland Security’s description of the situation on the ground was “simply unreliable.” Another judge — whom Trump himself appointed — wrote that the president’s basis for deploying the Guard was “untethered to the facts.” And a U.S. Court of Appeals panel with another Trump-appointed judge upheld that “the facts do not justify the president’s actions.” These same judges also stated that “political opposition is not rebellion” and reaffirmed that First Amendment activity is not a threat that would justify a military deployment.
Our service members understand that enlisting carries risks, and they accept them selflessly. But no commander in chief should put them at needless risk for a vague, open-ended and legally unprecedented mission based on what multiple federal judges have ruled are falsehoods.
Our troops deserve to know why they are being asked to do such legally unprecedented and deeply unpopular things on American soil. And all Americans deserve to know why this administration is so hell-bent on turning our military against Americans in their own communities.
Our heroes signed up to defend Americans’ right to free speech — not to intimidate Americans exercising that right.
With our nation facing real and growing threats from China, Russia, Iran and others, our military should be laser-focused on preparing our troops to defend Americans from actual threats — not performing tasks that burn morale and readiness, have already wasted an estimated $341 million taxpayer dollars and are better suited for civilian law enforcement anyway.
I cannot stay silent as our troops’ willingness to sacrifice for their nation is abused, especially when Trump’s abuses also erode the hard-won trust our military has earned from the American people over centuries.
Our heroes signed up to defend Americans’ right to free speech — not to intimidate Americans exercising that right.
They signed up to protect our freedoms — not to protect DHS agents who are abusing those freedoms.
They are willing to die to defend this country — not to defend Trump’s dangerous desire to stomp out dissent. They show up every single day — whether it’s Mogadishu, Fallujah, Kandahar or wherever else we ask. Their family members know the risks, and they support them with pride. We must honor them by refusing to misuse them. Every year since I arrived in Congress, I’ve worked across the aisle to forge a bipartisan defense authorization bill that helps strengthen both our military and our country. This summer was no different — and I’m proud of the many provisions I was able to secure in this year’s authorization. But as Trump continued to escalate his unconstitutional illegal domestic deployments in recent months, it became painfully clear that voting to pass this year’s NDAA would simply allocate even more resources for Trump to use as he escalates his un-American campaign. Look, I may no longer wear my Army uniform. These days, I spend my time under the great Capitol dome instead of beneath my Black Hawk’s main rotors. But my core mission is still the same as when I was in the National Guard: to keep America as strong as she should be. The power to deploy troops domestically must remain exceptional, accountable and rooted in law — not in one man’s judgment about what constitutes disorder. That is why I had no choice but to vote no: Because I love our military too much to let it be abused by a tinpot dictator who was never brave enough to serve in uniform himself. I will not be complicit in a five-time draft dodger’s efforts to use our troops to intimidate our neighbors rather than our adversaries. I swore an oath to defend the Constitution, both as a soldier and as a senator. This vote was about fighting to do just that.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is a Democrat from Illinois. 
