Kaine Applauds Senate Passage of Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Ranking Member of the SASC Subcommittee on Seapower, applauded Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2026National Defense Authorization Act(NDAA), which includes key provisions Kaine secured to advance U.S. national security, support servicemembers and their families, boost Virginia’s defense industry, and strengthen relations with allies and partners:
“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I’m always proud of our bipartisan work in the annual defense bill to advance our national security and support military personnel and families. I’m particularly excited that this year’s bill includes many provisions I secured, including investments in our nation’s shipbuilding programs, a pay raise for servicemembers, increased funding for military construction at installations across Virginia, and legislation to strengthen our alliances in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. I also secured the inclusion of my bipartisan bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force so we can formally end the Iraq wars. I urge President Trump to sign the bill as soon as possible.”
During the SASC markup of the FY26 NDAA, an amendment to restore the names of three Virginia military bases to those chosen by a bipartisan commission was passed by voice vote. The House Armed Services Committee similarly passed an amendment to restore the names of all military bases on a bipartisan basis. However, theprovisions were removedat the last minute because President Trump indicated that he would veto the entire defense bill over it like he did in 2020.
Kaine successfully secured the following provisions:
Pay Raises, Allowances, and Workforce Recruitment:
Repeal of 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs):Includesbipartisan legislationled by Kaine and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs and formally end the Iraq wars. The legislation was included in theHouseandSenate'sversion of this year’s NDAA.
Aviation Safety:Requires that all aircraft of the Department of Defense that operate near commercial airports be equipped with broadcast positioning technology with some exceptions for certain training exercises that are complicated by this technology. Requires that the Department of Defense improve how it shares aviation safety data with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This comes in response to the January 29, 2025 collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that took the lives of 67 people. Kaine shaped the original version of this provision, which was later altered during the conference process. He has emphasized that the final version of the provision is only an intermediate step, and that he will work with colleagues to incorporate recommendations from the forthcoming National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Army investigations in future legislation, including legislation to remove slots from DCA.
Shipbuilding Investments:
Contaminated Wells Relocation Act:Includes Kaine’sbipartisan, bicameral legislationto authorize NASA to negotiate an agreement with the Town of Chincoteague to address costs associated with relocating contaminated water wells, reimburse for those identified costs, and provide more local control of the water supply to the Town of Chincoteague. Several of the Town’s wells are located on NASA property and have been contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). While the well water is currently being treated to remove PFAS and is safe to drink, these treatments must occur regularly, which is an ongoing cost for NASA. This bill offers a permanent solution to resolve the contamination management hurdle while saving the federal government money.
Military Construction:Authorizes$890,460,000for military construction (MILCON) in Virginia.
Military Housing:
Health Care:
Military Families:
Oversight of Military Action in Caribbean:Fences certain travel funding for the Secretary of Defense until he provides unredacted videos of all strikes that have occurred in Latin America as well as copies of all classified Execute Orders (EXORDS) issued by the Department of Defense.
European Security, NATO, and Ukraine:
Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) Partnership:
Taiwan:Authorizes funding for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and directs the Department of Defense to engage with Taiwan to develop a joint program to codevelop and coproduce uncrewed and counter-uncrewed capabilities.
U.S. Posture in Indo-Pacific:
Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act(PERA)Act:Includes Kaine’sbipartisan legislationwith Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) to strengthen and modernize the U.S.-Philippines alliance through increased U.S. security assistance.
Combating PRC Overseas and Unlawful Networked Threats through Enhanced Resilience (COUNTER) Act:IncludesKaine’sbipartisan legislationwith Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) to limit the PRC’s attempts to strengthen its global reach by expanding its overseas basing efforts.
Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act:Includes Kaine’sbipartisan legislationwith Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to help reunite Korean Americans who have been separated from their relatives in North Korea since the Korean War.
Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act:Includes Kaine’sbipartisan legislationwith Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Rick Scott (R-FL), John Curtis (R-UT), and Chris Coons (D-DE) to address ongoing gang violence in Haiti.
Israel:Authorizes funding for the Israeli Cooperative Missile Defense Program, including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow. SinceFebruary 2024, Kaine has called for the transfer of defensive, rather than offensive, weapons to Israel in order to prevent further escalation that puts civilians and U.S. servicemembers in the region at risk.
Uncrewed Aircraft Systems:
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