Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement after voting for the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
“As a member of Congress who is proud to have two military bases in my district, I am deeply committed to ensuring the NDAA reflects our nation’s values and security priorities. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026 delivers on a number of initiatives that will support our men and women in uniform, as well as our nation’s interests abroad. Provisions like a 3.8% pay raise for all military personnel, expanded mental health services, and enhanced childcare programs are commonsense measures that will improve the lives of our servicemembers at Barnes and Westover.
“This bill also delivers on our obligations to our allies, including the authorization of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative at $400 million in FY2026 and $400 million in FY2027, ensuring that U.S. Europe Command security cooperation activities are funded, and authorizing funding for the Baltic Security Initiative and Taiwan Security Initiative. At a time of great uncertainty, these investments reaffirm America’s commitment to global stability and demonstrate that we will stand with our partners in the face of authoritarian aggression.
“Additionally, I am pleased that this bill repeals the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force against Iraq. As a result, the constitutional responsibility to declare war and authorize or limit the use of force will be returned to Congress, as our founders intended. This, coupled with new requirements that the Secretary of Defense provide Congress 60 days’ notice before making significant changes to any regional combatant command, ensures that meaningful oversight is fully restored.”
A summary of the provisions in the FY26 NDAA can be found here.
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