Rep. Gabe Vasquez Votes to Pass National Defense Bill, Delivering Military Strength and Wins on NM Priorities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 15, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) – a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) – voted in favor of the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  

“It is vital that we ensure America’s armed forces have the training, equipment, and resources they need to carry out their missions,” said Vasquez. “This bipartisan bill includes my legislation to improve health care for our rural veterans, give our troops a pay raise, recognize New Mexico’s Downwinders, and add many additional provisions that support service members and their families across our state.”

The Fiscal Year 2026 NDAA includes $882.6 billion in defense spending, national security investments, and support for our military. This includes funding for research and development, a 3.8% pay increase for our troops, and investments to support service members and their families. The bill passed out of Committee by a vote of 55-2 and will now head to the House floor for consideration. 

Included in the NDAA are Vasquez’s TRICARE Travel Improvement Act and Downwinder Commemoration Act, which ensure New Mexicans’ needs are met and interests are reflected through the nation’s defense investments. 

• The TRICARE Travel Improvement Act helps military families serving in remote areas access health care by reducing the travel reimbursement threshold under TRICARE Prime from 100 miles to 50 miles for active-duty service members and their families. Currently, families stationed at White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base who travel nearly 100 miles to El Paso for medical care are denied reimbursement due to being just under the threshold. This bill is a step toward fairness and affordability for New Mexico’s military families.
• The Downwinder Commemoration Act recognizes the harm endured by New Mexico’s Downwinders following the 1945 Trinity Test — the first nuclear detonation in U.S. history. It directs the Departments of Defense and Interior to place commemorative monuments in publicly accessible areas at White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base. Despite their exposure to radioactive fallout, Downwinder families were excluded from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) until Rep. Vasquez’s successful push to reauthorize and expand RECA to include New Mexico’s Downwinders. This bill helps deliver long-overdue recognition by permanently commemorating their suffering while preserving their legacy for future generations. 

In addition to these two measures, Rep. Vasquez secured the following priorities in NDAA:

Infrastructure & Safety:

• White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) Power Grid: $38.5 million for power generation and a microgrid at WSMR under the Energy Resiliency and Conservation Investment Program (ERCIP)
• Kirtland Air Force Base Space HQ: $83 million for Space Rapid Capabilities Office Headquarters construction at Kirtland Air Force Base
• Holloman Air Force Base Test Track: Report language highlighting the importance of Holloman’s High Speed Test Track and requiring a report on the timeline for constructing a new parallel track
• Cannon Air Force Base Dorms: $90 million for dorms at Cannon Air Force Base
• PFAS Cleanup: Language protecting mandated annual reports on DOD PFAS contamination and cleanup efforts, to ensure states like New Mexico have continued visibility into PFAS contamination
• PFAS Technology: Report language requiring DOD to partner with universities like NMSU to develop cutting edge technology to detect and cleanup PFAS contaminants

Unexploded Ordinance:

• Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program: Report language holding DOD accountable for cleaning up unexploded ordinance (UXO) on Tribal lands like the Pueblo of Isleta

Rural Issues:

• Rural Housing: Report language requiring DOD to partner with local housing authorities in rural areas to address shortages of housing around remote and isolated installations like WSMR and Holloman Air Force Base
• Specialty Healthcare at Rural Bases: Report language highlighting the challenges service members and families face at rural installations when accessing specialty healthcare and requiring a report on ways the Department can improve specialty provider accessibility
• Holloman Air Force Base Childcare: Report language encouraging DOD to expand the in-home childcare pilot program to four rural installations, including Holloman Air Force Base

National Labs/DOE:

• Los Alamos: $1.55 billion for plutonium operations, including ensuring the capacity to produce 30 plutonium pits annually

Other Bill Highlights:

• Pay Raise: 3.8% pay raise for all service members
• Housing: $1.5 billion for new construction of dorms, barracks, housing, and child development centers
• Ukraine: $300 million for Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative
• Environment: $460 million for environmental cleanup and $684 for the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program

“As this critical legislation continues to make its way through the House, I will keep working to improve it,” Vasquez added. “To maintain U.S. military superiority, we cannot afford to politicize our policies for recruiting, developing, and retaining the best and brightest.”

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