WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after the House passed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act on a vote of 231-196.
“For over 60 years, the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act has served as the foundation for our national security priorities and demonstrated Congress’s obligation to provide for the common defense. Members from both sides of the aisle have taken seriously our duty to exercise oversight of the Department of Defense to make sure that we can properly meet our national security and national defense needs.
“This is exactly what the House Armed Services Committee has done and did again this year, focusing on critically-need acquisition reform to breakdown bureaucracy and break through outdated methods by encouraging innovation, streamlining the decision-making process in a responsible way, and making the requirements process more efficient and effective. We ensured the men and women who serve in our military have what they need, when they need it to do their jobs. And we delivered on quality-of-life issues for our service members and their families—including a 3.8% pay raise and improvements to housing, health care, childcare, and support for civilian personnel—to ensure they get what they need and deserve.
“For the third year running, Republican leadership cast aside that time-honored tradition and strong bipartisan work, placing politics above the needs of our troops and our national security. They included countless partisan amendments that sought to score points in a right-wing culture war rather than focus on the real needs of our service members and their families. And they refused to include meaningful amendments offered by Democrats, silencing debate of critical issues including the Trump Administration’s politicization of our military and executive overreach that threatens our constitutional democracy, which undermines the authority of the Congress. That is why I voted against final passage today.
“I thank Chairman Mike Rogers and our colleagues in the House Armed Services Committee for their work with us to craft a bipartisan bill in committee and I remain focused on continuing to work with my Democratic colleagues to ensure congressional oversight going forward.”
“For over 60 years, the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act has served as the foundation for our national security priorities and demonstrated Congress’s obligation to provide for the common defense. Members from both sides of the aisle have taken seriously our duty to exercise oversight of the Department of Defense to make sure that we can properly meet our national security and national defense needs.
“This is exactly what the House Armed Services Committee has done and did again this year, focusing on critically-need acquisition reform to breakdown bureaucracy and break through outdated methods by encouraging innovation, streamlining the decision-making process in a responsible way, and making the requirements process more efficient and effective. We ensured the men and women who serve in our military have what they need, when they need it to do their jobs. And we delivered on quality-of-life issues for our service members and their families—including a 3.8% pay raise and improvements to housing, health care, childcare, and support for civilian personnel—to ensure they get what they need and deserve.
“For the third year running, Republican leadership cast aside that time-honored tradition and strong bipartisan work, placing politics above the needs of our troops and our national security. They included countless partisan amendments that sought to score points in a right-wing culture war rather than focus on the real needs of our service members and their families. And they refused to include meaningful amendments offered by Democrats, silencing debate of critical issues including the Trump Administration’s politicization of our military and executive overreach that threatens our constitutional democracy, which undermines the authority of the Congress. That is why I voted against final passage today.
“I thank Chairman Mike Rogers and our colleagues in the House Armed Services Committee for their work with us to craft a bipartisan bill in committee and I remain focused on continuing to work with my Democratic colleagues to ensure congressional oversight going forward.”
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