Democrats introduce 'PARADE' Act aimed at Trump's military celebration

Christal Hayes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump's military parade isn't a new idea The White House may have just confirmed plans for a military "celebration," but President Trump has been in favor of a parade to showcase U.S. military strength for quite some time.

Lawmakers are back to their old tricks, using acronyms to make their point even more obvious.

House Democrats on Thursday introduced the "PARADE" Act — otherwise known as the Preventing the Allocation of Resources for Absurd Defense Expenditures bill — which aims keep taxpayers from footing the bill if President Trump's dreams of a military parade do, indeed, come to fruition.

Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, introduced the legislation "to prevent taxpayer funded resources to bring an authoritarian-inspired show-of-force to life," a statement from his office reads.

“As a strong supporter of our military and their families, I know we are all beyond thankful for the sacrifices our military make on behalf of our country every day," Veasey said in a statement. "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."

The White House confirmed earlier this week that the President directed the Department of Defense to explore options for a military parade celebration.

The White House statement came after a Washington Post report, detailing that Trump wanted a parade "like the one in France"

The parade in France Trump was reportedly referring to was a Bastille Day parade he attended with French President Emmanuel Macron in July. The parade included tanks, soldiers in gleaming helmets astride horses and jets flying overhead.

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, co-sponsored the PARADE legislation, explaining Trump's calls for the parade "reflects a testosterone-driven need for self-aggrandizement."

"We use our military force as an instrument for advancing our ideals, not to intimidate as showy tyrants and autocrats do," he said in a statement.

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