Rep. Gabe Vasquez Delivers Wins for New Mexico Military Service Members, Honors Downwinders

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On September 10, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual bill that for more than six decades has set national defense policy and priorities. As part of the package, two bills led by U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) passed the House, alongside more than a dozen additional wins he secured for New Mexicans — ensuring their voices and needs are reflected in the nation’s defense investments.

The NDAA, which passed the House, contains Vasquez’s TRICARE Travel Improvement Act and Downwinder Commemoration Act, both of which reflect his commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of New Mexico’s military service members and Downwinder community.

“I’m proud to deliver these important wins for New Mexico,” said Vasquez. “These bills expand access to essential health care for our military families at Holloman and White Sands and provide long-overdue recognition to the families impacted by the Trinity Test. They honor their sacrifice and ensure that the people who have carried this weight for generations finally receive the recognition they deserve.”

• 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 (DOD) 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 Coordinator: Language establishing a new position at DOD for a coordinator to engage directly with defense communities impacted by PFAS contamination.
• 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 Ordnance:

• Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program: Report language holding DOD accountable for cleaning up unexploded ordnance (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: $400 million for Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
• Environment: $460 million for environmental cleanup and $684 for the Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program.

For over 60 years, the NDAA has been a testament to the shared bipartisan work of conducting oversight of DOD and supporting America’s national defense. House Republicans put these wins — and an otherwise strong bipartisan bill — at risk by adding unrelated social provisions that do nothing to strengthen our national security. 

The bill now must be consolidated with the Senate’s NDAA. Vasquez remains committed to protecting the provisions in this bill that deliver results for New Mexico’s service members, families, and installations while strengthening America’s national security.

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