Vindman Votes to Give Troops Well-Deserved Pay Raise, Invest in Military Readiness

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Eugene Vindman (Va.-07), member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee released the following statement after voting to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

"This bipartisan bill delivers real investments in readiness, innovation, and the wellbeing of our service members and their families," said Vindman. "Two measures I led successfully passed the U.S. House as part of this legislation: one to guarantee children of reservists are able to go to school on base while their parents are serving our country and another to make DoDEA classrooms phone-free so students can learn with fewer distractions. With this bill, we will strengthen our military and back our service members with the resources they deserve. Every military family and service member should know that I will always have their back."

The majority of this legislation reflects months of bipartisan negotiations done in good faith between the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Armed Services Committees.

Vindman was one of 17 Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee to pass the bipartisan NDAA when it first came to the House floor in September. He believes the national security of our country should remain a bipartisan issue and will continue to put our military families and service members in front of politics.

Vindman championed and secured the following priorities for Virginia's service members and military families in the NDAA:

• $18 million increase in funding for the U.S. Army to procure First-Person View (FPV) drones

• $17 million in additional funding for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to purchase drones

• $10 million in additional funding for the USMC's Warfighting Lab

• Children of reservists are guaranteed access to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools while serving their country

• Requiring that all DoDEA schools adopt phone-free classroom policies

• $20 million increase in funding for U.S. Army Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization to address infrastructure issues at Ft. Walker

• Requiring parental notification within 24 hours of any negative incidents at DoD Child Development Centers

• Stands up for the DoD civilian workforce by strengthening protections against arbitrary reductions in force

• Repealing the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for use of Military Force against Iraq

• Reauthorizing the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) for $400 million for FY26 and $400 million for FY27

Vindman's yes vote - along the majority of his colleagues - also supported critical priorities for the United States, including:

• A well-deserved 3.8% pay raise for service members

• $1.5 billion for new and needed barracks, housing, and child development centers

• Extends a limitation on recognizing Russian sovereignty over any part of Ukraine

• $460 million for necessary environmental cleanup at Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) sites

• Extends the Child Care In Your Home pilot program for eligible community-based childcare providers

These provisions reflect Vindman's commitment to holding the Department of Defense accountable, safeguarding our national security, and guaranteeing our service members have the resources and support they need to succeed.

BACKGROUND

Congressman Vindman is a U.S. Army veteran. He served as an infantry officer and paratrooper including assignments in the 82D Airborne Division and as a company commander leading troops. Soon after, he transitioned to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. As a JAG, Vindman served as an international law advisor in Iraq; as the senior prosecutor in the busiest jurisdiction in the Army; and as a White House National Security Council (NSC) deputy legal advisor. In Congress, he sits on the House Armed Services Committee.

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