WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, a critical bill that rebuilds America’s military might, backs our men and women in uniform, and delivers major wins for Louisiana’s military community. The bill also includes Kennedy’s Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act, which shuts down loopholes that let foreign executives game U.S. markets while American investors pay a heavy price. The U.S. Senate passed the annual defense authorization bill by 77-20.
“With war continuing to rage in Ukraine, chaos in the Middle East, and Communist China gearing up for the long haul, the United States cannot afford weakness, distraction, or social experiments in our military,” Kennedy said. “America needs a military that’s lethal, focused, and respected – not woke and watered down. The FY26 NDAA gets us back on track by strengthening our war-fighting edge, gutting the woke nonsense infecting our ranks, and delivering real, concrete wins for Louisiana that help keep our country strong and safe.
“I’m proud that my Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act is becoming law,” he continued. “For years, foreign executives exploited loopholes to rip off American investors and walk away clean. Those days are over. The FY26 NDAA puts American security, our nation’s heroes, and American taxpayers first. President Trump should sign it without hesitation.”
Key Louisiana wins in the FY26 NDAA:
Barksdale Air Force Base
Weapons Generation Facility Dormitory ($18 million)
Funds a new dormitory to support the $275 million Weapons Generation Facility currently under construction – critical infrastructure for mission readiness.
Child Development Center in Bossier Parish ($2.2 million)
Starts the replacement of a deteriorating, outdated facility with a modern 13-room expansion that supports our military families.
U.S. Air Force B-52 Program Modernization ($931 million)
Ensures the B-52 continues to serve as the backbone of the U.S. Air Force’s bomber force and nuclear deterrent well into the future.
U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command
Codifying Air Force Global Strike Command
Establishes the U.S. Air Force’s Global Strike Command, located at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City , as a Major Air Force Command, cementing Louisiana’s central role in America’s nuclear deterrence mission.
Joint Reserve Base (JRB) New Orleans (Belle Chasse)
F/A-18 Super Hornet Fighter Jets
The FY26 NDAA requires at least eight F/A-18 Super Hornet tactical fighter aircraft to be assigned to the U.S. Navy Reserve at JRB New Orleans.
Military Medical Readiness
Military-Civilian Medical Surge Program
The FY26 NDAA would make permanent the National Disaster Medical System pilot program, which is a military-civilian medical surge program. This program will leverage the new campus of LSU-Health Shreveport (LSUHS) to support military medical facilities and surge capacity in times of need.
Kennedy’s Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act
Once Kennedy’s Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act becomes law, foreign executives will be held to the same insider-trading reporting requirements as American executives. A gap in current law has allowed for insider trading abroad at the expense of everyday American investors.
Kennedy’s bill provides regulatory parity by requiring executives of public companies based outside the United States to make electronic disclosures of trades in their company’s stocks to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) within two business days.
The SEC would then make that information public, as it currently does with U.S.-based firms.
In addition to these major Louisiana wins and Kennedy’s Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act, the FY26 NDAA rebuilds America’s war-fighting edge, ends wokeness in the military, secures the border, and improves quality of life for our service members.
FY26 NDAA Highlights:
Delivers a 3.8 percent pay raise for service members and improves benefits for military families.
Authorizes $1 billion to fight drug trafficking, including Department of War support for counternarcotics operations, and $216 million for the National Guard Counter Drug programs.
Eliminates and bans DEI offices, trainings, activities, and woke mandates in our military and restores a warrior ethos.
Fully supports President Trump’s top defense priorities, including Golden Dome missile defense, F-47 fighter aircraft, new submarines, warships, and autonomous systems.
Rebuilds the defense industrial base and strengthens America’s shipbuilding capacity.
Fully funds border security support from the Department of War and the National Guard.
Authorizes $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and expands its uses to deter Communist China.
Strengthens America’s counter-terrorism tools to deter China in the Indo-Pacific and demands greater burden sharing from our allies for collective defense.
The FY26 NDAA restores American strength, backs our men and women in uniform, and delivers serious results for Louisiana.
