Elfreth Advances Maryland Priorities in Annual Defense Legislation
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, supported the passage of H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. The legislation includes funding for issues Elfreth has prioritized, including increasing pay and financial support for servicemembers, investing in cutting-edge technology and science, standing with our partners and allies like Ukraine, and increasing critical Congressional oversight. Elfreth released the following statement upon passage.
“Today, after months of tireless negotiations, the House will advance the National Defense Authorization Act with bipartisan support. While I do not agree with all aspects of the legislation, on balance, I believe it will better the lives of our servicemembers, advance our national security priorities, and benefit Maryland. We are delivering a 3.8 percent pay raise for all servicemembers, improving childcare and military housing, and protecting civilian DoD employees from reckless, short-sighted reductions in force. We are standing firmly with our allies on the global stage and investing in cutting-edge innovation.
“But most notably, this legislation – on a bipartisan basis – strengthens Congress’s oversight role over a reckless Secretary of Defense and Administration. The bill repeals the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force against Iraq, limits funding until the Secretary Hegseth provides unedited videos of the boat strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, and requires notification and justifications for the removal of general officers. The American people deserve national security leadership that they can trust, and this legislation gets us closer to that goal of rebuilding trust and oversight.
“Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson has intentionally chosen to strip out collective bargaining protections for civilian employees, provisions to establish access to IVF for servicemembers who want to plan their families, and limits on funding to rename military assets back to their Confederate-associated names. Those are all priorities that I worked on with my colleagues during the committee process and will continue to champion going forward.
“Throughout this process, I am visiting every major military installation in the state of Maryland and have spoken candidly with servicemembers of all ranks. My team and I convened our Veterans Advisory Council to hear their priorities directly. Based on those conversations, I worked with my colleagues to secure tangible wins in this year’s legislation, including: improvements to installation readiness in extreme weather, expanded availability of specialized health care for veterans, stronger mental health services for servicemembers, and modernized cybersecurity training.”
The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the few bipartisan pieces of legislation that has been passed annually in Congress for over 60 years. In all, 28 of Elfreth’s provisions were included in the NDAA.
Elfreth also spoke on the House floor on her NDAA priorities. The full video can be accessed HERE. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration. Elfreth’s priorities in the NDAA include, but are not limited to:
Maryland Priorities:
Requires the US Naval Academy (and all military academies) to develop an Installation Resilience Master Plan to address the impacts of extreme weather, sea-level rise, land subsidence, cybersecurity risks, lack of access to clean water, and disruption to clean energy.
Prohibit the construction of a golf course or restrict public access to the Greenbury Point Conservation Area.
Shields the DoD civilian workforce by strengthening protections against arbitrary reductions in force.
Expresses the Committee’s support of critical University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), including Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
DoD will establish and carry out a program to train the next generation of cybersecurity leaders with academic institutions, including the University of Maryland.
Improves the availability and access of military medical treatment facilities, like Walter Reed, for veterans' care.
Authorizing Funding for Maryland:
$256 million for Fort Meade’s Facilities
$86 million for the U.S. Naval Academy’s Storm Water Management Facilities
$73 million for Naval Support Activity Washington Suitland Foreign Materials Exploitation Lab
$70 million for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
$65 million for Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head’s Contained Burn Facility
Installation Readiness and Environmental Resilience:
Delivers $25 million for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI), allowing military services and partners to develop off-base natural infrastructure solutions to protect critical infrastructure, military personnel, and testing or training operations from climate change impacts.
Directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a Natural Disaster Report on the financial impact of extreme weather events on military installations and their impact on military readiness.
Women and Families in the Military:
Requires the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing to the House Committee on Armed Services on preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder that can occur during pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a serious condition that occurs at higher rates for women in the military compared to civilian women. Future studies and briefings will help female servicemembers prevent and, if necessary, manage this condition.
Extends the Child Care in Your Home Pilot Program to help military families with the cost of full-time child care.
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response:
Delivers $5 million to support the development and maintenance of harmful behavior databases, which track suicide, sexual assault, harassment, domestic abuse, and child abuse.
Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services, not later than December 1, 2026, on the Department’s current processes, systems, and practices for the collection, management, analysis, visualization, and reporting of data related to harmful behaviors.
Support Cyber Personnel and Cyber & AI Readiness:
Provides access to mental health support for cybersecurity personnel at CYBERCOM and the Cyber Mission Force. Mental and behavioral health physicians will ensure our cybersecurity professionals have the support that they need.
Requires the Department to update its annual cybersecurity awareness training to include artificial intelligence.
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