Rep. Don Bacon, who represents Nebraska’s 2nd District in the U.S. Congress and serves as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Cyber, Information Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, voted in favor of H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The bill passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 231 to 196.
The NDAA is an annual piece of legislation that authorizes defense spending and sets policy priorities for the Armed Forces. This year’s bill includes several amendments and provisions authored by Rep. Bacon.
“For the 65th consecutive year, the House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation that increases our national security and takes care of our servicemembers and their families,” said Rep. Bacon. “In particular, this year’s Defense Authorization reforms the acquisition process, delivering much-needed capabilities to our warfighters to meet the next generation of threats. I commend Speaker Johnson, Chairman Rogers, and my colleagues from both sides of the aisle on this significant legislative achievement.”
Key elements in the FY26 NDAA include reforms to speed up development and deployment of new technologies while reducing bureaucracy within defense acquisition systems; authorization of $142.6 billion for research, development, testing, and evaluation focused on areas such as hypersonics, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomous vehicles; preservation of U.S. force posture in Europe; additional security assistance to Baltic nations and Ukraine; full funding for modernization efforts related to nuclear deterrence; improved compensation for servicemembers; reformed military food programs; upgraded housing including $1.4 billion allocated for new construction.
Several proposals sponsored by Rep. Bacon are part of this bill: support authorization for Ukraine as well as Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia to counter Russian aggression; a directive for a Joint Task Force Cyber plan focused on Indo-Pacific operations; requirements regarding acquisition strategies for advanced fighter aircraft programs like F-47; an independent assessment mandate on toxic exposure among Air Force ICBM missileers; implementation plans to reform Department of Defense casualty assistance programs; establishment directives for a Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network; orders for significant security upgrades in DoD mobile telecommunications; transition plans toward digital manufacturing in major defense acquisitions programs; creation instructions for a Center for Strategic Deterrence and WMD Studies at National Defense University; improvement measures targeting cancer detection among DoD firefighters; updates on Space Force Satellite Control Network operations.
Don Bacon has served Nebraska’s 2nd District since replacing Brad Ashford in 2017 (https://bacon.house.gov/about/). He was born in Momence, Illinois in 1963 before moving to Papillion (https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/meet-the-candidates-don-bacon-running-for-reelection-in-nebraskas-2nd-congressional-district/article_1f9c5a48-45f7-11ed-a51d-fbd91dbdfb57.html). Bacon graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BA in 1984 before also attending University of Phoenix.
The full text of H.R. 3838 is available online.
