Durbin Secures Key Provisions To Support Rock Island Arsenal, Defense Manufacturing In Illinois In Committee-Passed NDAA

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today highlighted the critical provisions he secured in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was passed out of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC). The bill, which will now head to the Senate floor, includes significant support for Rock Island Arsenal, provides security aid to Ukraine, and authorizes $112 million in military construction funds for Illinois.

“The NDAA is a strong, bipartisan show of support for our national defense and to our men and women in uniform. The Committee-passed bill includes my provisions to ensure that Rock Island Arsenal remains central to our nation’s effort to modernize the military—and I’ll work to ensure they are included in any final package,”said Durbin.

Durbin-led measures included in the FY26 NDAA are:
Rock Island Arsenal:

Oversight

PFAS

Earth Magnet Manufacturing

Government Contracts

Foreign Relations

Quantum

Veterans’ Health

Impact Aid

Military Construction
o $50 million for construction of a new Child Development Center at Rock Island Arsenal;

o $5 million in planning and design funds to house the expanding forging capability at the Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center;

o $5 million in planning and design funds for the General Richard L. Jones National Guard Readiness Center in Chicago for the Illinois Army Guard;

o $5 million in planning and design funds for an operations and maintenance facility in Marseilles for the Illinois Army Guard;

o $5 million in planning and design funds for a new Readiness Center in Peoria for the Illinois Army Guard;

o $6 million in planning and design funds for a new aircraft hangar at Scott Air Force Base for the Illinois Air Guard; and

o $36 million in maintenance support at Fort Sheridan.

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