Rep. Don Bacon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Cyber, Information Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, voted in favor of S.1071, the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 312 to 112. The bill now moves to the Senate before heading to President Trump for signature.
The NDAA is an annual piece of legislation that authorizes defense spending and sets policy for the U.S. Armed Forces. Several sections in this year’s bill were authored by Rep. Bacon.
“My colleagues in the House have demonstrated that when we cooperate, we can pass bipartisan legislation that benefits our national security. Once again, we have maintained the trust of the American people by passing the annual defense authorization,” said Rep Bacon. “There are significant highlights in this bill for the 2nd Congressional District of Nebraska, and the entire country. This year’s NDAA revolutionizes the way that the Pentagon purchases weapons systems for our warfighters while also taking care of our all-volunteer force and their families. I commend Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith, my fellow Members of the Committee and Congress, and all the staff who worked tirelessly to bring this bill to the finish line.”
Key provisions in FY26 NDAA include authorizing over $900 billion for national defense with investments in critical technologies such as artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons; a 3.8% pay raise for servicemembers; reforms to speed up acquisition processes; continued support for U.S. force posture in Europe; additional security assistance to Ukraine and Baltic nations; funding modernization efforts for nuclear deterrence capabilities; improvements to military housing and childcare; protections for senior military leaders; and requirements for increased transparency on counter-narcotics operations.
Legislative proposals sponsored by Rep. Bacon include support for Ukraine and Baltic nations against Russian aggression, direction on advanced fighter aircraft strategy, creation of a combined military-civilian medical surge capability program, establishment of a Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network, upgrades to Department of Defense telecommunications security, digital manufacturing transition plans for major acquisitions programs, creation of a Center for Strategic Deterrence and WMD Studies at National Defense University, study on Airborne Operations Center’s future, and $15 million authorized for USSTRATCOM’s NC3 REACH initiative at Offutt AFB.
Don Bacon has represented Nebraska’s 2nd district since 2017 after succeeding Brad Ashford (https://bacon.house.gov/about/). He was born in Momence, Illinois in 1963 and currently lives in Papillion (https://www.omaha.com/news/local/don-bacon-biography/article_97e7c23a-6b5d-11e6-a0e9-df60a64cdb9c.html). Bacon graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BA in 1984 before attending University of Phoenix.
The full text of NDAA and related documents are available online.
