WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): 

“The use of our brave troops by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth for political theater—militarizing American cities against the wishes of citizens and governors, declaring wars without congressional authorization, parading around generals for a campaign rally—is a nightmare our founders would not have tolerated.  

“My Republican colleagues voted down amendment after amendment that would have protected the military from these abuses by President Trump—including amendments to limit the President’s ability to use the National Guard for police work and requiring the consent of elected state governors before deploying in American cities. They even rejected a commonsense amendment to stop the Defense Department from spending hundreds of millions on President Trump’s vanity project to refurbish the 747 jet “gifted” by Qatar—at the same time that he is gutting veterans’ care.  

“That’s why I voted against this Republican business-as-usual defense authorization bill. 

“While I will continue to stand up for American democracy and fight inefficient giveaways to defense contractors, I still worked to make sure this year’s NDAA included provisions that reflect American values and the priorities of Vermonters. I also made sure it included new provisions to take care of our troops—the Vermonters and Americans from every state that have dedicated their lives to our defense. This NDAA misses the mark, but I am grateful for our troops and veterans—including those targeted by the anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-DEI provisions in this bill.” 

The Senate’s FY 2026 NDAA included policies led and championed by Sen. Welch, including:  

• Elimination of Burn Pits: The bill included Senator Welch’s bipartisan WIPE Act, which would finally eliminate open-air burn pits and push the Defense Department to use safer and more efficient incineration systems for waste disposal when our troops are deployed around the world. 

• War Crimes Accountability: Senator Welch’s provision would push DOD to comply with its legal commitments to retain records of alleged war crimes.   

• Agent Orange Cleanup: Senator Welch’s provision would push the Defense Department to ensure America follows through on its responsibility to continue cleaning up Agent Orange around former U.S. bases in Vietnam, where children are still born with preventable disabilities and diseases.  

• ICE Detentions by the Military: The bill’s language would ensure the Defense Department’s facilities and U.S. troops can focus on fighting wars instead of President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. 

• Rule of Law at the Defense Department: The Senate included language underlining that the uniformed Judge Advocate Corps is bound by law and their oath to the Constitution to continue providing independent advice—free from political pressures and the whims of President Trump. 

• Support for Ukraine: The bill includes language to sustain and bolster U.S. military and intelligence support for Ukraine’s resilient defense against Russia’s invasion.  

Making the Defense Budget Work for Vermonters—the Senate’s FY26 NDAA also included measures championed by Senator Welch with direct financial impact on Vermonters:  

• Fair Pay for State National Guards: The bill includes the Guarding Readiness Resources Act, ensuring National Guard units are reimbursed directly when responding to local emergencies, such as reimbursements to the Vermont Guard for their help during the historic flooding in Vermont.   

• DOD Cyber Training with Academia: The NDAA supports programs implemented by Norwich University, such as cyber workforce civilian training and the Cybersecurity Model Maturity Certification, ensuring that DOD has access to skilled cybersecurity professionals and bolstering Vermont’s tech leadership.   

Republicans were not willing to call up Senator Welch’s amendments to the NDAA that would have:   

• Stopped spending of Americans’ taxpayer dollars on President Trump’s frivolous vanity project, refurbishing the used 747 gifted to him by Qatar.  

• Stopped DOD from hiring individuals convicted of felony assault on a law enforcement officers, including the hundreds of individuals convicted for their violent attacks on police officers at the Capitol on January 6^th.  

• Prohibited the costly expansion of facilities at Guantanamo (Cuba) for ICE detentions and deportations, extending the life of a prison camp that was designed to deprive detainees of legal rights to counsel. 

• Prohibited annexation of the West Bank by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s extremist government and prevented the deployment of US troops to Gaza.   

###