Amendments

Clarifies that a reservist has the ability to discontinue participation in the survivor benefit plan during a previous open season.

Strikes section 219 (previously section 224), titled “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” This section would integrate Israel into the Pentagon’s most sensitive research, development, testing, evaluation, and data-sharing efforts, including artificial intelligence, directed energy, cyber defense, biotechnology, network integration, and data fusion, while incorporating Israel into United States.defense systems and programs of record.

Gives the Mayor of the District of Columbia the same authority over the D.C. National Guard that the governors of states and territories have over their National Guards.

Requires the Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard to reside in D.C.

Gives the District of Columbia the same number of appointments and nominations to the U.S. service academies as states.

A sense of Congress regarding award of the Medal of Honor to Gregory McManus for acts of valor.

Calls for a study exploring the feasibility of allowing departments and agencies to have critical mineral purchasing and reselling capabilities for the purpose of reducing the bureaucratic burden and increasing the speed of purchasing minerals for projects within those departments and agencies.

Calls for an assessment of the United States and Allied nations reliance on China in the railroad manufacturing industry, and requires policy recommendations to strengthen domestic and allied production to reduce reliance on China.

Amends federal maritime security law to address cybersecurity risks posed by ZPMC cranes while giving DoD tools to harden the most militarily sensitive ports.

Requires the Secretary of Defense to integrate biotechnology threats from China into U.S. national defense strategies and develop a plan to counter them. Additionally, it directs the intelligence community to assess China's use of biotechnology for military purposes and establishes an interagency group to monitor foreign investments in the U.S. biotech sector.

Establishes a full-scholarship program for two-year degrees, primarily at community colleges and technical schools, to be operated by CISA in exchange for required government service. Identical to H.R. 1000, the Cyber PIVOTT Act.

Multiyear procurement authority for F–35 and F–15EX aircraft

Extends the mandatory requirement to maintain at least 1,800 fighter aircraft until October 1, 2035 and sets the minimum number of combat-coded fighters at 1,369 by 2030 and 1,558 by 2035.

Authorizes the State Department to lead diplomatic engagements to promote U.S. security interests in outer space, including by coordinating with allies and partners through space security dialogues, and risk reduction measures. It also authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements that would improve U.S. space security, including by promoting the U.S. commercial space industry; and requires consultations with Congress on adversaries' space capabilities.

Requires the consent of the chief executive officer of a state (including the District of Columbia and a territory) for the deployment of an out-of-state National Guard to the state under Title 32.

Renames the "Department of Defense" the "Department of War."

Prohibits the VA from requiring evidence of a certain dose of radiation to determine if a veteran is considered radiation-exposed for the purposes of “presumptive benefits.” Identical to H.R. 4469 (119th Congress)

Suspends the debit card surcharge that applies to certain veterans and caregivers of veterans with Commissary shopping privileges for Calendar Year 2027.

Requires DoD biological and medical laboratories to report public health data, including data on infectious diseases, to the CDC.

Requires disinterment of Robert McCormick Browne, who died by suicide after being credibly accused of abusing dozens of children, from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawai‘i.

Prohibits the use of funds appropriated for the Department of Defense from being used to deploy members of the Armed Forces to polling places or election offices.

Expands TRICARE eligibility for Air Reserve Technicians upon enactment.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to study the process for prospective Armed Forces members to obtain a waiver to enlist notwithstanding previously receiving outpatient mental health counseling for depression and/or anxiety.

Extends the congressionally authorized Vietnam War Commemoration program. Identical to H.R. 4045 (119th Congress).

Excepts civilian Department of Defense employees who help facilitate Permanent Change of Station moves for the Department of Defense Personal Property Program from future government shutdowns.

Requires the Department of Defense to report to Congress on the timeliness of providing electronic health records to members of the Armed Forces who are separating from active duty. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish standards to ensure that separating servicemembers receive such records within a reasonable period.

Removes the statute of limitations for a veteran to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim if the veteran already qualified for disability compensation due to their exposure to toxic water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to contract for and stockpile critical drugs free of Chinese-sourced pharmaceutical inputs.

Directs the Defense Intelligence Agency and Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to conduct a comprehensive review and develop a strategic plan to assess and fix any deficits of Secure Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) in the Indo-Pacific.

Directs Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) to study the existing acquisition authorities granted to combatant commands and determine if improvement can be made to accelerate the development of capabilities and potential direct rapid research and acquisition tailored to unique and specific theater threats.

Counters foreign persons and foreign governments participating in or facilitating the recruitment of foreign nationals from African countries for the purpose of fighting in the war in Ukraine.

Counters Russian trafficking in persons.

Strengthens accountability and oversight of the Department of Defense's compliance with domestic food procurement requirements by directing the DoD Inspector General to conduct quarterly audits ensuring taxpayer dollars are supporting American farmers and domestic supply chains, not foreign competitors.

Requires the TRICARE program to cover pre-hospital blood transfusions administered by authorized emergency medical personnel before hospital admission.

Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a secure, opt-in, privacy-preserving database and messaging platform that enables veterans to reconnect with fellow service members they served alongside—without requiring the disclosure of personal contact information.

Inserts land withdrawal for U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground. Identical to H.R. 8686, reported (119th Congress).

Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the federal coal bonus bid repayment structure over a 10 year period.

Allows designated family members and caregivers to supplement, but never alter, the health records of deceased servicemembers and veterans, preserving a complete medical picture that honors their service and supports future research and benefits accountability.

Inserts the text of H.R. 3144, Honoring Our K9 Heroes Act (119th Congress), removes section (e) related to the authorization of appropriations.

Requires a report from the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator for Nuclear Security, U.S. Strategic Command, and the Director of National Intelligence, outlining the potential ramifications of a resumption of explosive nuclear testing.

Strikes Section 1115, which would prohibit DoD from implementing President Trump's Executive Order 14251, issued on March 27, 2025. The Executive Order exempts certain agencies from collective bargaining agreement protections, including the DoD.

Authorizes the National Guard to conduct Counter-UAS missions to protect critical infrastructure and major public events upon Department of Defense approval.

Expands on Section 1059 of H.R. 8800 to encourage the display of the Honor and Remember Flag, an official symbol in 29 states, at Department-run sites at the discretion of the Secretary and his designees. There remains no national symbol collectively honoring all fallen servicemembers, and the amendment is based on H.R. 1363, Honor and Remember Flag Recognition Act.

Requires the State Department to submit a report to Congress outlining its unfunded priorities.

Require the Space Force to assess the security, physical, cyber, and geopolitical vulnerabilities of commercially owned and operated satellite ground-based nodes located within the Indo-Pacific.

Moves the pension funds for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps to the Military Retirement Fund to ensure all retired uniformed servicemembers receive pension payments during a government shutdown. Identical to H.R. 8732 (119th Congress).

Authorizes DoD to use the Ford Island Improvement Account for electrical or infrastructure upgrades on DoD land at Barber’s Point, HI.

Requires the Secretary of Defense to notify and consult with the HASC and SASC on any changes to evaluation criteria for officers not less than 180 days before conducting the action.

Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security to require a license for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of certain integrated circuits, and for other purposes.

Amends the AUKUS Submarine Transfer Authorization Act to allow for transfer of three in-service Virginia-class submarines, instead of two.

Requires the Department of Defense (DOD), under the PACT Act, to establish a presumption of toxic exposure for veterans who served at locations currently classified by the Department of Energy (DOE) as a location where radiation and toxic exposure occurred under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000. The bill would also require DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a process for collecting and sharing information about affected veterans and servicemembers.

Establishes a status identifier for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) crew who conduct combat operations, to help increase their access to mental health services and give them proper recognition.

Establishes a housing stipend for federal wildland firefighters, many of whom are veterans, hired at a location more than 50 miles from their primary residence with the allowance being determined by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture and be based on the cost of living in the area of deployment.

Establishes an annual recruitment and retention bonus of $1,000 for Federal wildland firefighters.

Adds the Department of Energy (DOE) to the list of exempted federal agencies—which currently includes DOD, DHS, DOJ, and the State Department—that are able to procure, operate, and inventory unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) from “covered foreign entities” for the sole purpose of conducting research, testing, and evaluation to better understand the risks these covered UAS may pose and better develop systems for countering them.

Prohibits ICE from deporting service members or veterans and immediate family members of service members without due process and access to legal counsel.

Requires a study on the cost and feasibility of increasing the minimum and maximum allowable pension rate (MAPR) for surviving spouses and children.

Prohibits the President from altering adherence to the HUD-VASH housing first principles.

Establishes a data sharing process to enable states to access military enlistment data to better inform high school students and educators on military careers and more accurately track the outcome of students who choose a career in the military after graduation.

Expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include student veterans using their VA-administered educational benefits and taking advantage of paid internships or work opportunities while in school. This would incentivize employers to hire more student veterans for part-time work and paid internships by automatically qualifying employers for the WOTC 40% tax credit on the first $6,000 of a new employee’s first-year wages when they hire veterans using their GI Bill or other educational benefits.

Allows targeted air cabotage waivers for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Reinstates assignment incentive pay at Creech Air Force Base to compensate for the base's high operations tempo, austere conditions, and lack of quality-of-life facilities.

Requires DOD to modify service records to include a check box or other method to signify that a servicemember served at data masked location, or a location deemed contaminated by the Department of Energy, and to require medical screening when outprocessing from that duty station.

Directs the Secretary of the Air Force, in coordination with the Defense Health Agency, to assess behavioral and social health conditions affecting servicemembers and families stationed at Creech.

Expands access to medical treatment, including mental health treatment, for surviving children of servicemembers, who died while on active duty, by increasing the age limitation to qualify as a dependent child to age 26 for this select class of dependent.

Facilitates the transfer and demilitarization of certain aircraft to the State of Colorado for wildfire suppression purposes.

Directs the Department of Defense to report the average military medical treatment facility patient referral and consult wait times for active-duty servicemembers and veterans.

Amends title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs furnishes a 3 year pilot program to provide certain non-opioid pain medications to veterans. Similar to the text of the NOPAIN For Veterans Act (H.R. 4509) that is co-led by Reps. Landsman and Van Orden.

Prohibits DOD from preventing women to serve in any role within the military and clarifies that gender neutral standards can exist for women in ground combat only.

Establishes a pilot program to provide Congress with more information on foreign assistance spending during the congressional notification process, including program objectives, total lifecycle costs, and performance oversight. This is the text of H.R.7461, the Transparency in Foreign Assistance Act, which passed HFAC markup 44-0.

Extends diplomatic privileges to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), allowing the organization to establish a foreign mission to the U.S. to be located in Washington, D.C.

Requires the Secretary of Defense to deploy standardized Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) to all applicable military bases.

Expands Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 17 to include Otero and Eddy County in New Mexico.

Directs a report on cost of living adjustment calculations for purposes of pay and benefits for members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense whose permanent duty station is in California.

Exempts veterans from work requirements under SNAP.

Renames the Department of Veterans Affairs Community-based outpatient clinic in Las Cruces, New Mexico to the "Las Cruces Bataan Memorial Clinic."

Increases the Department of Veteran Affairs education stipend from $1,000 to $1,400 and directs an annual increase to the stipend to adjust for inflation.

Requires the Department of the Navy and the Marine Corps to strengthen tactical vehicle risk management by establishing clearly defined responsibilities for vehicle commanders and implementing standardized procedures that enable first-line supervisors to identify, assess and mitigate operational risks during training and mission execution.

Requires the Department of Defense to improve oversight, monitoring and evaluation of nonclinical suicide prevention training across the military services.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to provide certain members of the Armed Forces with continuous glucose monitoring technology.

Extends the period of performance of the current DoD trial to treat certain conditions using psychedelic substances to September 30, 2033.

Increases funding amount for Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology and offsets from Ship Depot Operations Support (O&M), Navy by $7M.

Increases funding amount for Ground Technology and offsets from Ship Depot Operations Support (O&M), Navy by $10M.

Directs the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to engage host nations in developing a plan to eliminate foreign-controlled open-air burn pits used near U.S. troops, protecting American servicemembers from toxic exposure.

Ensures that all legacy fighter aircraft become eligible for recapitalization immediately after the first 129 F-15EXs are procured.

Specifies phased inventory benchmarks for combat coded fighter aircraft.

Requires the Department of Defense, in coordination with Federal labs, to establish a comprehensive shared database to help improve public and private cooperation to benefit national security.

Directs the Department of Defense to review districting for zip codes and to consider additional costs of living (like local tax rates) outside the current calculations when establishing military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates.

Directs the Department of Defense to administer a pilot program to provide financial support to qualified transitioning service members who may experience hardships upon initial transition from service by establishing a sustainability stipend that covers housing and food expenses for a period of 120 days.

Authorizes the State Department to lead diplomatic engagements to promote U.S. security interests in outer space, including by coordinating with allies and partners through space security dialogues. Additionally, authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements that would improve U.S. space security, including by promoting the U.S. commercial space industry; and requires consultations with Congress on adversaries' space capabilities.

Requires the Department of War to provide educational information on newborn screening, state newborn screening panel variations, and available supplemental screening options to TRICARE beneficiaries receiving prenatal care. Requires the Department of War to submit a report to Congress on the feasibility, costs, and logistical considerations of ensuring newborns of TRICARE beneficiaries receive screening for all federally recommended newborn screening conditions.

Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress on the military power and illicit activities of certain drug cartels, including recommendations for additional authorities or resources to enhance efforts of the U.S. to disrupt and dismantle the military capabilities of the cartels.

Requires the Department of Defense to review existing programs and, where feasible, implement software-based cryptographic protections that strengthen data security without requiring new hardware. It advances the Department's transition to post-quantum cybersecurity standards, promotes data ownership and key sovereignty, prevents vendor lock-in, and ensures future defense programs incorporate these protections from the outset.

Requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress on individuals and entities collaborating with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Requires the President to determine if individuals identified in that report should be included on the Entity List maintained by DHS pursuant to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

Requires the GAO to conduct a review to assess the funding and resource needs of the Coast Guard to carry out its cybersecurity responsibilities. Identical to H.R. 7625 (119th Congress).

Establishes a National Security Commission on Robotics tasked with evaluating how robotics and associated emerging technologies affect national security, defense missions, and U.S. technological leadership.

Synchronizes US sanctions enforcement by requiring Department of the Treasury, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of War to notify each other when placing a foreign individual or entity on specified sanctions lists. After receiving notification each federal agency has 90 days to determine if they will include the entity on their respective lists. This amendment is identical to H.R.4291: the Sanctions Lists Harmonization Act.

Facilitates the export of United States artificial intelligence systems, computing hardware, and standards to our allies to secure our combined national security. This is identical to H.R.6996: Full AI Stack Export Promotion Act, execpet the Committee on Energy and Commerce is added as a report recipient at their request.

Authorizes the Department of Defense to enter interagency agreements with National Marine Fish Service and Fish and Wildlife Service to fund additional personnel specifically to execute environmental reviews of priority military programs or projects.

Establishes a presumption of approval for qualified DoD servicemembers and civilian employees seeking authorization from their facility commander to carry personal firearms on military installations.