RELEASE: House Passes Annual Defense Bill Including Gottheimer Provisions to Support U.S. Troops, Fight Terrorism, & Defend Against China, Russia, Iran

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House passed key provisions authored and backed by U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) to combat foreign terror, protect the U.S. strategic advantage over China, support our ally Israel, strengthen American AI capabilities, defend against Russian threats, support education for service members, and give troops a pay raise.

“The House passed a strong, bipartisan defense bill to help equip and prepare our service members to carry out their mission and defend our country. This bipartisan bill included several key provisions I helped lead to support our service members and reserves, fight global terror, support our allies, and ensure the United States remains a leader in the face of Chinese advancements,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “I’ll continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our active-duty military, combat terrorism and violent extremism, and strengthen America’s national security.”

Gottheimer’s key provisions and priorities passed in the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 include:

• Supporting our troops and their education: The bill includes a 3.8% pay raise for U.S. service members. The bill also boosts investment for the National Defense Education Program to provide additional scholarships, internships, and resources for STEM education for K-12 and post-secondary STEM talent vital for national defense. 
• U.S.-Israel Counter Drone Cooperation: The NDAA secures $70 million to accelerate the development of systems to combat the threat of drones alongside our key ally, Israel. 
• Supporting our allies and their fight against terrorism: The bill accelerates the redistribution of seized Iranian weapons to U.S. allies to support their fight against terror in the Middle East and around the globe. 
• Protecting Intelligence Systems from Chinese AI Threats: The NDAA mandates the removal of Chinese AI application DeepSeek and any similar Chinese-developed software from all intelligence community (IC) networks.
• Developing American AI in National Security: The bill creates an AI Institute to strengthen America’s AI capabilities and ensure that our troops have the latest and most advanced technologies at their fingertips.
• Supporting Europe’s Wall Against Russia: The NDAA establishes the Baltic Security Initiative to strengthen our allies on Russia’s borders to defend against Russian threats.

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