Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady issued the following statement after strongly opposing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 to which Congressional Democrats attached controversial legislation that expands federal hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation and gender identity:

“Hate crimes have nothing to do with troop funding. Congress has reached a new low,” said Brady, a strong defense supporter whose brother is an Iraqi war veteran and active Army. “The same Democrat leadership that promised to ‘slow bleed’ our military and has declared political war on America’s own intelligence community now has found a way to cynically use our fighting men and women to further their controversial social agenda.”

“For the families and loved ones of military families, this must just be disgusting.”