THE HILL — The Senate voted Thursday to block the Defense Department from spending taxpayer money on honoring the military at sporting events.
The amendment, which passed by unanimous consent as part of an annual defense policy bill, comes in the wake of reports the Pentagon spent millions in federal funds for NFL teams to honor troops during games.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said earlier Thursday that NFL teams had received nearly $7 million in taxpayer dollars during the past three years from Army National Guard contracts, which included publicly honoring troops.
McCain sponsored the amendment along with Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), referring to the practice as “patriotism for profit.”
“I and so many other Americans were shocked and disappointed to learn that several NFL teams weren’t sponsoring these activities out of the goodness of their own hearts, but were doing it to make an extra buck,” he said. “Taking money from the American taxpayers in exchange for honoring American troops.”
Read more at The Hill.
