Elfreth Votes to Advance Annual Bipartisan Defense Bill

July 16, 2025
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted to advance the bipartisan FY26 National Defense Authorization Act out of the Committee. Following her vote, the Congresswoman released the following statement:

“After 14 hours of debate, the House Armed Services Committee advanced the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, critical, bipartisan legislation that strengthens our military readiness in an ever-changing world. This year’s NDAA delivers new supports for our servicemembers and their families, equips our warfighters with the capabilities they need by removing red tape, protects collective bargaining rights for DoD civilian employees, limits use of funding to rename military assets back to their Confederate-associated names, and delivers millions in support for Ukraine.”

“I have spent this year touring our great state’s military installations and meeting with our enlisted men and women. As we crafted and debated the NDAA, I was determined to work with my colleagues to incorporate tangible wins for our servicemembers in this legislation, including: improving installation readiness by preparing for extreme weather events, expanding childcare and mental health services for servicemembers, requiring and funding the DoD to modernize tracking systems to address harmful behavior such as sexual assault and suicide, and doubling down on critical research support and career pathways for the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.”

The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the few bipartisan pieces of legislation that has passed annually in Congress for over 60 years. In all, 16 of Elfreth’s provisions were included in the base text of the NDAA, and Elfreth successfully introduced 11 provisions as amendments. 

Elfreth-led priorities in the NDAA include:

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.
  • Ensures Congress’s oversight role by requiring the DoD to report on the impact of firing civilian employees in the Department and how these firings impact military operations and readiness.
  • Expresses Committee’s support of critical University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), including Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
  • Codifies the Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, ensuring the stability of the program. National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity are universities, including the University of Maryland, that work with CYBERCOM to train the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.

Instillation 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 $10 million to support the development and maintenance of harmful behavior databases, which track suicide, sexual assault, harassment, domestic abuse, and child abuse.
  • Requires the adoption of modern standards for data collection, analysis, and reporting of harmful behavior across all military departments. These modern standards will allow the services to properly address issues of harmful behavior.

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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