Duckworth Secures Several Key Priorities in Committee-Passed NDAA To Expand IVF Coverage, Strengthen Oversight of Domestic Military Deployments, Boost American Manufacturing and More

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)—secured several important provisions to support servicemembers and boost American competitiveness and national security in theFiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)that SASC approved this week and the full Senate will now consider. Among the provisions that the Senator secured in the Committee-passed legislation, Duckworth successfully led a provision to expand IVF access for uniformed servicemembers and ensure military families have the same level of coverage that Members of Congress and other federal employees already have. As President Donald Trump continues to misuse our military to intimidate American citizens across our nation, Duckworth also successfully secured provisions that would safeguard Americans’ civil rights when servicemembers assist law enforcement on U.S. soil.
“The brave men and women in uniform who serve our nation at home and abroad deserve to know that our country fully supports them as they and their families sacrifice to defend our country and our Constitution,”said Duckworth.“While I don’t support every provision included in this bill, I’m proud that it includes several of my provisions to support our servicemembers and their families, boost American manufacturing, improve Americans’ faith in their military as well as rein in the Trump Administration. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue improving this NDAA and ensure Congress passes a strong final bill that lets our troops know we have their backs.”
NDAAs set our nation’s defense policy and laws, authorize funding for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and ensure that our servicemembers have the tools they need to defend our nation. Additionally, this year’s committee-passed legislation authorizes funding to support a 3.8 percent pay raise for military members.
Key Duckworth-led provisions secured in this year’s Committee-passed NDAA would:
In addition to these provisions, Duckworth also successfully worked to protect Universities across the country from having their DoD funding for critical technological research cut unnecessarily.