Dems introduce bills to block funds for Trump’s proposed parade

Two Democratic lawmakers are introducing legislation in the House and Senate that would block federal funds from being used to pay for President Trump’s reported plan to hold a military parade. 

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) introduced bills in their respective chambers that would bar the Trump administration from using taxpayer money to fund such a parade, which could come with a multimillion dollar price tag.

In a letter to Senate colleagues, Cardin called on lawmakers to throw their support behind his measure.

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“We have the best armed forces in the world. We don’t need to flex our muscles to showcase our military hardware,” Cardin wrote. “Our brave military men and women flex their might around the world every day on behalf of our nation.”

Trump has long floated the idea of holding a grand display of the nation’s military might. He expressed awe over the Bastille Day parade in France last year that featured soldiers, fighter jets and the like, and has reportedly said that he wants a similar parade in the U.S.

But his musings took on a more concrete form last month when he directed Pentagon officials to begin exploring the possibility of a military parade, The Washington Post reported. The Pentagon later confirmed that officials were looking into the idea.

That proposal, however, is already facing scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who have said that such grand displays of military hardware show weakness and are more common among authoritarian governments, like that of North Korea.

Veasey blasted the reported parade plan, calling it an expensive attempt by Trump to drive up his approval ratings and an insult to U.S. service members that it is intended to celebrate.

“An expensive political ploy whose sole aim is to boost Trump’s approval ratings is an insult to their service and detracts from resources needed to provide meaningful assistance to veterans and current service members,” he said in a statement.