Democratic Representative Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr., a Georgia Democrat, has reintroduced legislation aimed at significantly curbing the flow of military-grade equipment from the Pentagon to law enforcement agencies across the United States. According to Newsweek, this move serves to address long-standing concerns about police militarization.
The proposed legislation, titled the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2026, seeks to amend Title 10 of the United States Code. It directly targets a federal program known as the “1033 program,” which is run by the Defense Logistics Agency’s Law Enforcement Support Office. This program currently allows surplus military equipment to be transferred to federal, state, tribal, and local police departments at absolutely no cost beyond shipping.
