Taxpayer-Funded NFL ‘Tributes’ Irk Senators

Upon learning that the “Salute to the Troops,” which took place at 14 NFL stadiums, was in fact a Defense Department promotion at taxpayers’ expense, three lawmakers took to the Senate floor to express their displeasure. “Football fans across America learned … that several NFL teams were honoring … not out of a sense of patriotism but for profit,” said Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. In total, the Army National Guard spent roughly $7 million during the course of three seasons to sponsor the promotion at NFL games. The three senators are sponsoring legislation that would bar such expenditures in the future.