WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) released the following statement after the House of Representatives approved the Conference Report on H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act, FY2012:

“I am very disappointed in the National Defense Authorization Act that Congress approved today, for three primary reasons. This bill raises serious constitutional concerns, continues wasteful military spending, and fails to make meaningful progress toward bringing our troops home from Afghanistan.

“I am particularly concerned about the provisions that bind the hands of the FBI and the Department of Justice in their efforts to prosecute terrorists and that allow for the indefinite detention of certain terrorism suspects without charge. A founding principle of our democracy is that we provide criminal suspects with the right to a fair and speedy trial. We cannot and should not arbitrarily limit that right, but this bill appears to do just that.

“I am also especially concerned about ongoing waste in the Pentagon budget, which this bill does little to stop. In fact, this bill authorizes more than half a trillion dollars in spending for the Department of Defense, even as vital services like education are being slashed. Every year, billions of dollars in wasteful contracts go to companies like Blackwater, which this bill continues. At a time when Americans all over the country are sacrificing deeply, it is unacceptable to continue wasting precious tax dollars to pay for weapons systems that our troops don’t need and contracts for services that have no accountability.”