Van Hollen Statement on National Defense Bill Vote

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement on his vote against the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

"Every year, the national defense bill is Congress' opportunity to conduct oversight of our military operations and realign our defense policies to ensure we're ready to take on the threats we face around the world. This year's legislation includes many positive elements that I fought for and support, from a pay increase for our servicemembers - including the thousands based in Maryland - to investments in our veterans and military families to funding for Maryland-based military installations. It also includes a provision I authored to ensure continued public access to Greenbury Point near the Naval Academy and bipartisan legislation I led with Senator Kennedy to protect investors from foreign insider trading.

"However, I ultimately could not support this year's NDAA while we are confronting a president who is playing politics with our nation's military and using our troops to advance his authoritarian agenda both here at home and abroad. From missile strikes on boats that lack Congressional authorization and are extrajudicial killings amounting to state-sanctioned murder, to the deployment of the National Guard to American cities to support the President's indiscriminate mass deportation agenda, it's clear this Administration no longer respects our laws, including those around the use of the U.S. military. These concerns have only deepened my existing reservations around the continued unchecked growth in defense spending.

"We deploy a strong military to protect our nation and democracy from foreign threats and adversaries. Unfortunately, the attack on our democracy, freedoms and the rule of law is now mainly from the president himself - including the fact that the current Commander in Chief is ignoring the laws governing the use of our military. And for those reasons, I refused to sign a blank check to the lawless Trump Administration."

Senator Van Hollen secured the passage of two of his bills within the fiscal year 2026 NDAA. The NDAA includes his Protect Greenbury Point Conservation Area Act - cosponsored by Senator Angela Alsobrooks and led in the House by Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (both D-Md.) - to prevent the U.S. Navy from developing a golf course on the Greenbury Point peninsula at Naval Support Activity Annapolis (NSA Annapolis); and his bipartisan Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act with Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) to hold executives of foreign companies that are traded on U.S. stock exchanges to the same disclosure requirements that U.S.-based firms are required to follow.