On November 3, 2025, With Honor Action sent the following letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees as they negotiate over the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Dear Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Smith,
We at With Honor Action thank you for your leadership on the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). As an organization that promotes principled veteran leadership, your bipartisan collaboration on this critical legislation is a model for leading with integrity and civility.
With Honor works with the 37 members of the For Country Caucus and our 11 Senate Allies to help enact impactful, commonsense policies that promote our national security, expand pathways for national service, and support our veterans. As you enter the conference process and negotiations, we would like to advocate for a few of our bipartisan priorities for inclusion in the final version of the bill. We understand that the priorities below may face challenges, but we are committed to supporting you with our coalition, advocacy, and communications resources.
- Ensuring Operational Readiness: The Department of Defense spends roughly 70% of its budget every year on sustainment. Sections 863 and 836 of the House and Senate bills, respectively, would decrease unnecessary military spending by avoiding high repair and maintenance fees charged by contractors and increase preparedness by reducing obstacles to servicemembers’ ability to repair equipment in theater. It would also enhance servicemembers’ skills by providing them with the necessary tools and information to repair equipment. These provisions are aligned with the With Honor-endorsed Warrior Right to Repair Act of 2025, H.R. 5155 / S. 2209, led in the House by Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and For Country Caucus members Jen Kiggans and Maggie Goodlander, and in the Senate by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tim Sheehy. With Honor supports the inclusion of the right-to-repair language in the final FY26 NDAA.
- Bolstering Biosecurity: Biotechnology innovation and utilization are a critical component of U.S. national security and the next frontier of great power competition between the U.S. and adversaries like China. In 2021, Congress established the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) to assess the impact of biotechnology advancements on the future of U.S. defense capabilities. In April of this year, the Commission released its final report, which includes 49 recommendations to the Executive Branch and Congress to ensure America’s continued and future dominance in this sector. With Honor supports the inclusion of all of the NSCEB recommendations that were incorporated in whole or in part in both the House (Sections 216, 220, 221, 222, 241, 242, 868 & 877, 893, 1521) and Senate (Sections 231, 232, 233, & 881) bills.
- Expanding Veteran Home Ownership: In 2024, there were $28 billion of unused VA Loan funds meant to help secure housing for service members and veterans. The VA Loan Informed Disclosure (VALID) Act, included as Section 5602 in the Senate’s FY26 NDAA, would combat the veteran homelessness epidemic by requiring a side-by-side comparison of conventional, FHA, and VA home loans, allowing borrowers to fully understand their options and the resources at their disposal. It also ensures that the military service question on the Uniform Residential Loan Application form is required to be filled out, so borrowers understand from the start what benefits they are entitled to. These provisions are included in the standalone VALID Act, H.R. 3694 / S.1932, sponsored by Reps. Brittany Petterson and Harriet Hageman in the House and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and John Boozeman in the Senate. With Honor supports the inclusion of the VALID Act in the final FY26 NDAA.
- Strengthening Global Alliances: Ukraine’s success against Russia’s illegal war of aggression will only be achieved through our continued support. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) is extended until 2028 via Sections 1302 and 1223 in the House and Senate NDAAs, respectively. The Senate provision not only underscores our resolve in supporting Ukraine by extending the program, but it also demonstrates our commitment to the cause by increasing our contributions by $200 million, compared to the House authorization. With Honor supports the increased authorization and extension of the USAI for inclusion in the final FY26 NDAA.
- Promoting National Service: Instilling civic-mindedness and nurturing the patriotic desire to serve starts with youth national service programs. The Senate FY26 NDAA authorizes funding for several youth national service programs, including the Civil Air Patrol and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at or above the requested level. However, specific line-item authorizations for the National Guard STARBASE program, which provides STEM education and mentorship to elementary school children, and the United States Naval Sea Cadets, which were included in the House bill, were not provided for in the Senate version. With Honor supports the inclusion of these authorizations for each program at the requested level in the final FY26 NDAA.
- Modernizing Defense Acquisition: Streamlining the defense procurement and acquisition process is paramount to creating an innovative, cutting-edge military. The Senate FY26 NDAA includes key provisions that transition the Program Executive Officer (PEO) role to that of the portfolio acquisition executive and update determinations regarding commercial products and services, as Sections 801 and 825, respectively. With Honor supports the inclusion of the above provisions, as well as the more than 100 provisions that aim to streamline the defense acquisition process, reduce administrative complexity, and eliminate outdated requirements, limitations, and other matters in the final FY26 NDAA.
Please feel free to contact me directly or Sean McClintock, Vice President of Government Affairs, at mcclintock@withhonor.org, if you have any questions. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Very Respectfully,
Rye Barcott
Co-Founder & CEO, With Honor