Booker Introduces Amendments to FY26 NDAA to Advance New Jersey Interests

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker introduced a series of amendments to the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ensure that the legislation better meets the needs of New Jersey communities.

The amendments would secure critical funding for New Jersey law enforcement, expand support programs for our veterans, safeguard the rule of law, and ensure federal law enforcement operating in New Jersey act within the bounds of the Constitution and uphold the rights and freedoms of the people they serve.

"We've seen Donald Trump and his administration repeatedly hurt New Jerseyans- they've attacked their healthcare, rolled back veterans services, undermined safety in our communities, and weaponized the justice system. I've introduced a series of amendments to this year's NDAA to push back against Trump's harmful policies to strengthen support for New Jersey veterans, bolster law enforcement, and ensure New Jersey families aren't left behind."

Booker's amendments include:

PROVIDING FOR VETERANS

• An amendment that would direct the Toxic Exposure Research Working Group to study the diagnoses of health conditions among spouses and dependents of Vietnam-era veterans in New Jersey and across the country who were exposed to Agent Orange.

• Codifies Booker's VET Extension Act, which would require the VA to provide up to 15 additional months of GI Bill benefits to veterans who must take remedial courses to improve their academic skills before obtaining higher education or vocational training.

• An amendment to tackle the mental health crisis among veterans by requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to examine the correlation between suicidal behavior and command climate and provide a report to Congress so that lawmakers can pass robust legislation to ensure vulnerable Veterans receive the help they need.

• Codifies Booker's Delivering Optimally Urgent Labor Access for Veterans Affairs Act (DOULA Act), which would establish a pilot program to provide doula services to support veterans experiencing pregnancy.

• Codifies Booker's Supportive Services for Reserve Component Veterans and Families Act, which would expand the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Supportive Services to Veterans and Families (SSVF) program to members of the National Guard and their families who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. This program provides low-income veterans with case management and supportive services to prevent the loss of a home; identify a new, more suitable housing situation; or rapidly re-house veterans.

PROTECTS MISSION-CRITICAL ARMY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT:

• An amendment that would restrict the Army's ability to move Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDTE) funding and functions away from the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition (JPEO A&A) or the Joint Capabilities Portfolio Executive Ammunition construct until the Army studies and reports to Congress detailed plans, costs, and impacts of such proposals. This amendment aims to protect the integrity and efficiency of the Department's ammunition acquisition efforts, which are managed at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, to support military readiness. This amendment was introduced in the House by Representative Mikie Sherrill.

OVERSIGHT OF IMMIGRATION FACILITIES

• An amendment to codify housing and care standards for all immigrants being held at DoD facilities, including those in New Jersey. This amendment was introduced in the House by Rep. Herb Conaway.

• An amendment that requires extensive reporting of any DoD installations/resources used by the DHS for the purposes of immigration detention and enforcement operations, which includes an assessment for the Secretary of DoD detailing the impact of these activities on our nation's military readiness.This amendment was introduced in the House by Rep. Herb Conaway.

• An amendment that requires ICE to notify the attorney or designated family member within 24 hours of transferring a detained person to a new facility.

• Codifies Sens. Booker and Padilla's Visible Act to improve transparency and public trust by requiring all immigration enforcement officers to display visible identification during public facing enforcement actions

PROMOTING PUBLIC SAFETY

• An amendment to ensure that Police Departments in New Jersey and jurisdictions receive their share of federal law enforcement funding by prohibiting the DOJ from attaching immigration enforcement requirements to grants, including for New Jersey public safety programs.

• Codifies Booker's MARSHALS Act, which would transfer the U.S. Marshals from executive branch control to the judiciary, ensuring that USMS can focus on its core mission of protecting federal judges and enforcing court orders without political interference

• An amendment to establish strong hiring criteria for federal law enforcement in response to the Administration's dangerous rollback of minimum hiring standards for ICE agents, which risks putting unqualified individuals in positions of authority. It would establish strong, nationwide requirements fitness, ethics, and transparency in the hiring process and is a critical step toward ensuring the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in federal law enforcement.

• Codifies Booker's EQUAL Act, which advances fairness, proportionality, and racial justice in the federal criminal legal system by eliminating the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses.

• An amendment establishing new notification requirements and transparency measures for presidential deployment of the National Guard within the United States. The President would be required to provide 24-hour advance notice to Congress before federalizing National Guard units for domestic deployment with a good-faith claim and the exact circumstances necessitating the deployment.