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Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Madam President, we are about to consider the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. I rise to express my support for this legislation, and I am very pleased that we will, I think very shortly, be voting on final passage of this bill.

First, I would like to acknowledge Chairman Wicker whose leadership has been crucial for the success of this bill. The hallmark of the Senate Armed Services Committee has long been bipartisanship, and I am glad we have continued that tradition for the 65th consecutive year.

I would also like to thank my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee who helped produce this bill. We were able to adopt hundreds of amendments during the committee markup and dozens more through the floor process and floor debate.

I appreciate our colleagues in the House who worked with us these past months to produce a strong bipartisan bill.

This is a forward-looking Defense bill, and I believe we can all support it. I am confident it will provide the Department of Defense and our military men and women with the resources they need to meet and overcome the national security threats we face.

This year's Defense bill addresses strategic competition with China and Russia and confronts threats posed by Iran, North Korea, violent extremists, and also national phenomena like climate change. It authorizes significant investments in artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and hypersonics, and it modernizes our ships, our aircraft, and our combat vehicles.

Most importantly, this NDAA delivers key wins for our servicemembers and their families. It authorizes a 3.8-percent pay raise and provides improved housing, barracks, additional childcare assistance, and expanded programs to address traumatic brain injuries because we understand that the key asset that we have that provides our military superiority is the men and women in the uniform of the United States.

This bill reaffirms America's global role by extending the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and committing the Department of Defense to continue to support Ukraine. They are fighting our fight, and we must help them.

It strengthens our alliances in Asia by fully funding the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and providing new authorities for cooperation with Taiwan.

Importantly, the bill prohibits reductions in our force posture in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. To remain a force for peace and stability in these areas, we must have effective force levels, and this legislation provides for that.

And importantly, this NDAA compels the Secretary of Defense to follow the law and submit to Congress a number of reports that he has deliberately withheld. Specifically, the bill cuts off portions of the Secretary of Defense budget until he submits the execute orders and unedited videos of the boat strikes related to ongoing operations in South and Central America.

The bill asserts congressional authority over several other areas the Secretary has been negligent in. These provisions are a ratification of our constitutional duty to raise an army, to supervise an army, and to ensure that the laws of the United States are followed scrupulously.

Overall, this is a very strong bill that represents compromise on both sides, and I would urge my colleagues to vote for it.

Finally, I would like to take an opportunity to recognize the phenomenal staff who have made this bill possible. I want to specifically recognize the director of the Democratic staff Elizabeth King and the director of the Republican staff John Keast. They have led their staffs and worked together with utmost professionalism.

I would also like to thank the members of the Armed Services Committee staff that have helped me directly: Jody Bennett, Carolyn Chuhta, Jon Clark, Jenny Davis, Jonathan Epstein, Jorie Feldman, Kevin Gates, Creighton Greene, Gary Leeling, Maggie McNamara Cooper, Mike Noblet, Chad Johnson, John Quirk, Andy Scott, Cole Stevens, Meredith Werner, Isabelle Picciotti, Brittany Amador, Sofia Kamali, and Noah Sisk.

Also, let me thank the floor staff and the leadership staff. You have been part of this process for the last several months, and you have done a remarkable job. We thank you for that very, very much.

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