Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement after voting against passage of H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (NDAA).
“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. For more than six decades, this process has been bipartisan in nature, with the common goal of ensuring the strength and stability of our nation’s military, while investing in research and development initiatives of great significance both at home and across the globe. However, since Republicans have assumed the majority, they have turned the NDAA into a political weapon. Rather than investing in commonsense measures that benefit our men and women in uniform, they have prioritized promoting a culture war.
“Simply put, the servicemembers and their families deserve better. This includes the men and women at Barnes and Westover and their families, all of whom make immense sacrifices every single day. Let’s not forget the economic impact these bases deliver for the people of western Massachusetts. It is for these reasons that we should be focused on common sense policies, including a 3.8 percent pay raise, increased housing allowances, and, this year, repealing the AUMF that authorized the war in Iraq. However, these political stunts have serious consequences and ultimately resulted in a bill I could no longer support.
“Legislating isn’t easy, but it’s what the American people elected us to do. I implore my Republican colleagues to stop playing these political games at the expense of the men and women who protect our freedoms and promote our values abroad. We need to focus on doing the people’s business, not promoting an extremist agenda.”
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