Larsen Releases Statement on Defense Policy Bill Vote

Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bipartisan NDAA passed the House by a final vote of 312 to 112 and now heads to the Senate for consideration. 

“I supported this year’s NDAA because it includes provisions to improve servicemembers’ quality of life, strengthen military communities, keep commitments to NATO allies and provide necessary oversight of the Trump administration,” said Rep. Larsen, who served for 22 years on the House Armed Services Committee. 

Larsen Priorities for AI, Education, Ukraine Included 

Several of Rep. Larsen’s priorities were included in the final NDAA: 

• AI Literacy for Members of the Military – Rep. Larsen’s AI Training for National Security Act to require the Department of Defense (DoD) to incorporate AI training into its annual cybersecurity training is included in the NDAA. More information about the legislation is available HERE.  

• Funding to Support Ukraine’s Self-Defense – The NDAA includes $400 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which builds Ukraine’s capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, supports institutional transformation initiatives and advances U.S. political and military objectives. 

• Supports Our NATO Allies – The NDAA supports our transatlantic partnerships by permanently authorizing the Baltic Security initiative and stopping Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from reducing the number of troops in Europe below 76,000.  

• Oversight of Trump Administration – The NDAA also includes provisions strengthening congressional oversight of President Trump’s immigration agenda, including by requiring military personnel to display their service branch name when supporting civilian law enforcement in U.S. cities and requiring DoD to report to Congress when military assets are used in immigration enforcement. 

• Repeals Authorizations of Use of Military Force (AUMFs) – The NDAA repeals the 1991 and 2002 AUMFS, which authorized the use of military force in Iraq. This is an important step to unwinding the blanket authority presidents have to conduct war without appropriate congressional oversight. 

Larsen to Keep Fighting for Reproductive Health; Opposes Anti-Labor, Anti-LGBTQ+ Provisions 

“Unfortunately, at the last minute, Republican leadership stripped out a bipartisan provision that was in both the House and Senate NDAAs to provide servicemembers with access to IVF. No one should have to choose between serving their country and starting their family, and I will keep working to ensure military families can access IVF,” Larsen said. 

“This is not a perfect bill, and I will also keep fighting to restore collective bargaining rights for civilian DoD employees and oppose cruel, anti-LGBTQ+ attacks on servicemembers.”