Baumgartner Issues Statement on Final Passage of FY27 NDAA

Baumgartner Issues Statement on Final Passage of FY27 NDAA July 22, 2026 | Press Releases WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Michael Baumgartner (WA-05) issued the following statement upon the passage of the final Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). “ I am proud to support the passage of the NDAA and stand with the brave men and women who wear our nation’s uniform, ” said Congressman Baumgartner. “ This legislation strengthens support for our Fairchild servicemembers and their families by increasing their pay and enhancing housing, education, and access to childcare, while ensuring our military has the tools and capabilities needed to deter our adversaries and defend the American way of life. ” “ I am also pleased the House approved my amendment to authorize a $5 million investment in Reactive Alloy Structure (RAS) manufacturing, a critical new munitions technology developed at Washington State University and manufactured in Spokane, ” Baumgartner continued. “In defense, every ounce of weight requires expensive fuel to fly. This technology will make our defense systems lighter, stronger, and more efficient, ” he said. RAS Background: Reactive Alloy Structure (RAS) was invented by Washington State University researchers under contract to DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and is working with Applied Research Associates (ARA) to manufacture the munitions; ARA recently opened an industrial high-bay facility in Spokane, Washington to support RAS manufacturing; In testing, RAS has demonstrated all the key qualities of hardened steel while also generating significant blast effects; It’s effectiveness at destroying electronic systems is an astonishing 250% increase over an equivalent, non-RAS charge; and This effectiveness against electronics is especially important as US forces deal with an increasing quantity of enemy drones in combat operations. The passage of the FY27 NDAA authorizes $1.15 trillion for the following national defense priorities including but not limited to: Authorizes a 5-7% pay increase for all servicemembers and reauthorizes targeted retention bounces and special pays; Invests over $1.8 billion for the construction, modernization, and optimization of new military barracks and family housing facilities; Authorizes $226 million to design and build new Child Development Centers for non-base childcare and over $170 million for new Department of War Education Activity schools; Authorizes almost $1 billion to counter drug trafficking and grants the National Guard the authority to procure equipment for counter-narcotics and drug interdiction operations; Authorizes $39 billion to restore America’s arsenal of munitions, including Precision Strike Missiles, Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles, Naval Strike Missiles, ect; and Cuts nearly $30 billion in wasteful spending at the Department of War, including over $12 billion from inefficient and underperforming programs. The NDAA passed the House on July 22, 2026, by a vote of 216-212. The Senate is currently considering its NDAA bill. The House and Senate must then reconcile the two bills into one, and both chambers must pass that bill prior to it going to the President’s desk to be signed into law.