Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) released the following statement after voting against Republicans’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Defense funding bill:

“At a time when the United States should be showing strength and moral leadership on the global stage, this bill does the exact opposite. It abandons our allies, hands Putin a strategic win, and jeopardizes our military readiness with divisive policies and culture wars. 

“Women and LGBTQ+ servicemembers make the same sacrifices all of our servicemembers make to defend our freedom, they all deserve our full respect. But Donald Trump has proven time and again that he does not support our troops – from calling them suckers and losers, to the devastating cuts he has made at the VA. This bill is yet another example of Trump’s horrific leadership as the Commander in Chief. This unserious funding bill is an attack on women and LGBTQ+ servicemembers, and serves as another example of Trump and his congressional leadership prioritizing culture wars instead of funding the support our troops need and deserve.

“Despite including two of my amendments that would benefit Colorado, I could not in good conscience vote for a bill that otherwise undermines our values, weakens our global standing, and fails to support the servicemembers who put their lives on the line for this country.”

Specifically, Republicans’ FY 26 Department of Defense spending bill:

• Weakens Ukraine and empowers Russia by eliminating support for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
• Undermines democracy at home and abroad by allowing disinformation and extremist views to flourish.
• Limits women’s access to abortion by preventing service personnel from traveling to seek reproductive health care. 
• Harms our military readiness with divisive provisions that undermine morale and fail to support our service personnel, by:

• Continuing DOGE and the Administration’s cuts to vital civilian positions;
• Attacking the LGBTQ+ community with hateful policies; and 
• Banning funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Two of Rep. Pettersen’s amendments were included in the FY 2026 Defense bill:

• Pettersen’s amendment advances cutting-edge aerospace research and strengthens national security through lunar technology.
• Pettersen’s other amendment supports using quantum computing to predict and prevent threats to our electrical grid, bolstering national security and grid resilience. 

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To access downloadable, high-quality photos, click here. To stay up-to-date on what Pettersen is doing in Congress, follow her on Twitter here, Facebook here, or Instagram here. Residents can also sign-up for her e-newsletter subscription here.