Majority Leader | Press Release | Press Releases | THE NE...Skip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNE×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUFacebookXInstagramFacebookXInstagramVisit Leader Thune's South Dakota Site Here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMPress Releases09.04.25Senate Republicans’ NDAA Advances President Trump’s “Peace Through Strength” AgendaThe Bipartisan FY26 National Defense Authorization Act Makes Significant Improvements to Ensure America’s Military Is Poised to Meet Current Global Challenges THE U.S. IS CONFRONTED BY SERIOUS INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGES TO ITS CORE INTERESTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD“The United States is operating in the most dangerous threat environment we have faced since World War II. The bill my committee advanced… is a direct reflection of the severity of that threat environment, as well as the rapidly evolving landscape of war.” – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) America’s adversaries are aligned: “China’s military is getting stronger, and it wants the world to know it. The world’s largest active military, with more than 2 million personnel, is holding one of its biggest parades ever on Wednesday… Topping the guest list are Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has pressed on with his war against Ukraine despite a U.S. peace push, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a rare departure from his isolated, nuclear-armed state.” (NBC News: China to stage a show of force with grand military parade attended by Putin and Kim Jong Un – 9/1/25)China’s military parade “comes amid heightened military tensions in the region as China clashes with neighbors in the South China Sea and the U.S. and its allies brace for potential conflict over Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing claims as its territory.” (NBC News: China to stage a show of force with grand military parade attended by Putin and Kim Jong Un – 9/1/25)Continuing its war against Ukraine and launching the largest missile barrages of the entire war in an attempt to undermine President Trump’s efforts to end the war, a recent Russian airstrike hit an American-owned factory in western Ukraine. (New York Post: Deadly Russian missile attack on Ukraine wipes out US-owned factory — as Poland scrambles to protect its airspace – 8/21/25)As part of defending Israel against Iranian missile attacks earlier this year, the U.S. military used a quarter of its high-end missile interceptors, exposing a “supply gap” in America’s defense production. (CNN: US used about a quarter of its high-end missile interceptors in Israel-Iran war, exposing supply gap – 7/28/25)CONGRESS HAS PASSED THE NDAA FOR 64 STRAIGHT YEARS, AND THIS YEAR’S BIPARTISANBILL ADDRESSES SEVERAL CONSERVATIVE PRIORITIES AND SUPPORTS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S VISION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA’S MILITARY“As commander in chief, my focus is on building the most powerful military of the future. As a first step, I’m asking Congress to fund a state of the art ‘golden dome’ missile defense shield to protect our homeland.”– President Donald TrumpThe NDAA has successfully been enacted for 64 consecutive years and is Congress’ opportunity to shape defense policy for the year ahead. (U.S. Congress: Defense Primer: The NDAA Process – 1/6/25)This year’s NDAA is strongly bipartisan:The bill was reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee by a 26-1 vote. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services: SASC Completes Markup of National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 – 7/11/25)The NDAA also includes 985 provisions driven by members’ input across the Senate. (U.S. Congress: Congressional Record Vol. 171, No. 143 – 9/2/25)The FY26 NDAA paves the way to enact President Trump’s defense priorities:The bill “[s]upports the development of the Golden Dome missile defense architecture by revising the national missile defense policy,” and creates a framework for the system’s development. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services: Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act – accessed 9/4/25)It boosts munitions production funding by authorizing $6 billion on top of the $25 billion allocated through Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act and mandates the implementation of a critical munitions supply plan to ensure that the military is prepared to fight simultaneous conflicts. (Breaking Defense: SASC version of defense policy bill adds $32B to boost F-35, shipbuilding – 9/3/25; Sen. Wicker: SASC Chairman Roger Wicker Releases Updated Text of Defense Reconciliation Bill – 6/25/25)As America has fallen behind China in shipbuilding and naval fleet size, the bill prioritizes investments in ships and submarines. (Center for Strategic & International Studies: Unpacking China’s Naval Buildup – 6/5/24; Financial Times: US ability to defeat China in Taiwan threatened, top Indo-Pacific commander warns – 5/3/25; U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services: Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act – accessed 9/4/25)The bill returns the Department of Defense to its warfighting mission by removing statutory DEI provisions, banning race-based affirmative action, and prohibiting men from playing in women’s sports at military service academies. (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services: Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act – accessed 9/4/25)The NDAA also makes historic improvements to the Pentagon by cutting red tape and encouraging innovation:“Repeals or amends more than 100 provisions of statute to streamline the defense acquisition process, reduce administrative complexity, and remove outdated requirements, limitations, and other matters.” (U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services: Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act – accessed 9/4/25)“For decades, we have levied a crazy, years-long bureaucratic process to qualify new parts and types of weapons for military use. That process rewards the status quo and severely discourages competition. This bill will create a new streamlined process for qualification, pairing it with a new $1 billion fund from the reconciliation bill. Taken together, we will dramatically improve competition at the Pentagon and protect against price-gouging.” – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) UNLIKE THE SENATE UNDER LEADER SCHUMER, REPUBLICANS ARE SERIOUS ABOUT AMERICA’S DEFENSE, GIVING THIS MUST-PASS LEGISLATION THE FLOOR TIME AND CONSIDERATION IT DESERVES“I’ve talked more than once this year about my commitment to regular order, and I am proud that this year’s NDAA is on the regular-order track… And at the end of this process, I’m looking forward to the Senate passing this bill to strengthen America’s military and safeguard our national security in the 21st century.” –Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)In 2024, the NDAA was voted out of committee in mid-June with a 22-3 vote but was not considered on the Senate floor until the very end of the year. (Washington Examiner: Senate committee ignores budget caps as it advances $923 billion defense policy bill – 6/17/24)Instead, at the direction of then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrats were focused on scoring political points and wasting the Senate’s time on meaningless show votes:“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is embracing the art of the ‘show vote’ to boost his vulnerable incumbents this summer.” (Punchbowl News: AM: Are House Republicans setting themselves up to fail? – 6/5/24)“Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is leaning hard into his political instincts in a bid to preserve his party's tenuous hold on the chamber — and provide election talking points for Democrats in Congress and beyond… Schumer’s tactics are unlikely to result in much legislative progress in the coming months…” (Axios: Schumer's 2024 "show vote" strategy targets GOP – 6/6/24)Democrats have also prioritized far-left policies over strengthening America’s military: In 2024, a majority of House Democrats and 11 Senate Democrats voted against the NDAA due to language restricting transgender medical procedures and therapies for children. (Politico: House passes major Pentagon bill despite Dem revolt over transgender health care – 12/11/24; The Hill: Senate passes $895B Defense bill; some Dems defect over transgender fight – 12/18/24)PrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
