Maintaining Peace Through Strength

The United States must keep our military the strongest in the worldto deter our adversaries and keep our nation at peace.

This week, I voted to bolster our military and give the men and women serving in our armed forces a well-deserved pay raiseas part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This annual military policy bill not only authorizes ongoing investments in our national security, but also includes an important plan I introduced to make air travel safer and prevent crasheslike this year's tragedy over D.C.

Bolstering National Security

Every year, Congress must pass the NDAA to set policy and funding priorities for the military. The House-approved NDAA for 2026 (H.R. 3838) authorizes critical investments for obtaining weapons and other critical equipment, building up our fleets, and boosting support for service members and their families. Specifically, the bill:

• Supports a 3.8% increase in payfor all members of the military, improves housing and education, and expands access to health care and child care.
• Helps service members return to civilian lifeby enhancing the Transition Assistance Program, an ongoing priorityfor me.
• Fully funds the deployment of troops to the southern borderto fight drug trafficking.
• Removes bureaucratic waste.
• Authorizes new ships, aircraft, combat vehicles, and weapons.
• Reduces delays and expedites military construction and acquisitionof equipment.
• Keeps the squadron of A-10 fighter jets at Michigan's Selfridge Air National Guard Baseuntil the base's new F-15EX Eagle II squadron arrives.

The NDAA also includes my fourth bill to pass the House since I came to Congress, the Military Helicopter Training Safety Act, which I introduced after the deadly mid-air crash between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter earlier this year that took 67 lives. This bill would begin the process of equipping military helicopters with the same collision avoidance technologyused by civilian aircraft.