NDAA Now Law

President Trump has now signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. I secured several important wins for the CNMI in the law, which I highlighted in last week’s newsletter. These include making the CNMI an eligible location for military ship repair and maintenance, and mandating a comprehensive study on expanding Coast Guard operations in the CNMI to include port visits, deployments, and potential assignment of fast-response cutters. I also secured the authorization of the military’s Innovation Readiness Training program to purchase its own supplies for its programs that benefit local communities. In the CNMI, this includes military doctors providing healthcare to the community, Seabee engineers building our roads, and military engineers providing technical assistance on local infrastructure projects. Previously, the community would have to supply the materials for these projects, but this new policy will lower local costs for these projects and accelerate their completion. I’m excited to see our amendments make it into the final law and to see how they will help our islands in the future.