Congress just made the military get a little quieter. An amendment in the recently-passed defense bill restricts military bands from playing at social functions.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the next fiscal year prohibits military bands from performing “for certain entertainment purposes … including dinners, dances and social events,” the provision reads.
According to Republican Rep. Martha McSally, who proposed the amendment, the $437 million spent on military bands does not serve the military’s mission. “For every dollar that is spent on our bands … to entertain at social functions, that’s a dollar we’re not spending on national security and our troops and our families,” McSally said.
An independent analysis by the Lexington Institute found the Department of Defense could spend over $50 billion on military bands over the next 50 years if present spending levels are maintained, the Hill reported in May.
Military bands would still play for official occasions like funerals and ceremonies. If the provisions survives reconciliation with the Senate’s version of the NDAA, many of the thousands of military bands in the U.S. would face an uncertain future.
Pointing out the irony in the recruitment debate, McSally told the House Committee on Armed Services in March that “if we really had a manning crisis, from my perspective, we would really tell people to put down the tuba and pick up a wrench or a gun.”
The NDAA must be passed in identical form by the Senate before it is delivered to President Barack Obama for his signature. Obama said last weekhe would veto the bill if it included certain provisions.
Follow Thomas Phippen on Twitter
Send tips to thomas@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.