Rep. Mullin Announces Amendments Offered for National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA-15) announced several amendments he offered for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 that aim to promote a range of initiatives related to voting rights and elections, climate, energy, affordability, and housing.

The amendments are listed below:

Promote the dissemination of vote by mail information to service members

In 2020, military voter turnout was 27 percentage points lower than civilian voters with similar characteristics. About 75% of service members are eligible to vote by mail because they are stationed away from their home voting precincts, but they face complications in doing so.

This amendment would require the Secretary of each Military Department to annually provide electronic notice to service members on how they may register to vote and request an absentee ballot, and to post this information in prominent physical locations at military bases and on their websites.

Affirm service members' right to cast ballots abroad

Before the 2024 Election, Republicans filed lawsuits in Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania that challenged the validity of ballots cast by U.S. citizens living abroad, including members of the U.S. military, for a failure to show proper ID, even though such voters are exempt under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

This amendment would affirm that every member of the Armed Forces who is a citizen of the United States and eligible to vote in that member's home jurisdiction has a right to cast a ballot consistent with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

Affirm the military has no role in elections

President Trump has made many alarming statements about the use of the U.S. military in domestic affairs. He has also made references to military leaders as having allegiance to him personally rather than the Constitution.

This amendment would affirm that the United States military plays absolutely no role in the administration of elections or the democratic process in the United States.

Require the Department of Defense to report its greenhouse gas emissions

The Department of Defense (DOD) is estimated to be the world's largest institutional consumer of petroleum and, as a result, the single largest institutional producer of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Although the Department of Energy publishes annual summary-level data on DOD GHG inventories, there are significant gaps in the reporting.

This amendment would direct the DOD to annually report on its GHG.

Expand energy demonstration projects to include microgrid and solar technologies

The military tests energy resilience projects in the prototype and demonstration stages at military bases designated as "Energy Resilience Testbeds." However, only certain technologies are allowed, such as energy storage systems, energy efficiency, and onsite energy generation. This limits the scope of potential technologies that may be considered for development and deployment.

These two amendments would add advanced microgrid and solar panel technologies to the list of eligible energy resilience demonstration projects at military bases.

Require the Department of Defense to track costs of extreme weather

Extreme weather threatens DOD operations and infrastructure. However, military bases do not track these costs consistently, so the DOD does not have the information it needs to integrate considerations of climate-related impacts into future budgets.

This amendment would require DOD to track the annual costs at military bases associated with extreme weather events.

Expand scope of risk assessment on military installations

The Secretary of Defense is required to submit an annual report that includes a risk assessment of the ability of military infrastructure to withstand severe weather events, but the list does not include all natural disasters.

This amendment would expand the scope of the annual critical infrastructure report to cover earthquakes, tsunamis, windstorms, and wildfires.

Study use of Poverty Line for service members' supplemental income

Military families whose gross household income falls below 130% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) receive a Basic Needs Allowance that serves as an add-on to service member salaries to raise their income to a certain threshold. However, the true cost of living for service members varies greatly by region, and the FPL - and therefore the Basic Needs Allowance - may not be adequately adjusted for regional differences in household expenses.

This amendment would require a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study evaluating usage of the FPL in determining eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance and the extent to which the eligibility threshold as a multiple of the FPL accurately reflects the cost of living of members of the Armed Forces and is adequately adjusted for regional differences in household expenses.

Pass the Empty Lots to Housing Act

The U.S. is in a housing crisis that threatens our national security. The housing market is short 4.9 million homes and one in four renters spends more than half of their income on rent. One solution is to repurpose underutilized lots near transit into housing.

This amendment would incorporate Rep. Mullin's bipartisan bill, the Empty Lots to Housing Act, which would give the Federal Highway Administration authority to allow state and local agencies to dispose of underutilized land previously acquired with agency funds - such as parking lots - for transit-oriented development, including affordable housing.

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