WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott, member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services (SASC) and Chairman of the SASC Subcommittee on Seapower, released the following statement highlighting big wins for Florida, our warfighters, and President Trump’s Peace through Strength agenda in the Senate-passed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This includes Senator Scott’s work to protect the United States from Communist China by prohibiting the Department of War (DoW) from purchasing Chinese computers and printers, which threaten our national security and allow Communist China a backdoor into our nation’s secure networks and information.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Our military men and women represent the best of what it means to be an American and a Floridian. They wake up every day, often in dangerous places and away from their loved ones, to fight for the freedoms that make our country great. As Florida’s United States Senator, I am proud to work with President Trump, a true champion of our warfighters and veterans, to support our service members and their families. We were able to secure big wins for Florida and our military in this year’s Senate-passed NDAA, including pay raises for our troops and projects that make life better for military families in Florida with critical military construction projects throughout the state. We will also make great investments in our national security by getting Communist China out of our supply chains, drug manufacturing, and technology, keep Homestead Air Reserve Base ready for a renewed flying mission, and ensure readiness across all domains. These efforts are critical to support our troops and keep future generations of Floridians and Americans safe.

“I would like to thank Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and all of my Senate colleagues for their work to get this bill passed in the Senate, and I look forward to it passing the House and being signed into law.”

In its current Senate-passed form, Senator Scott fought for and secured several measures, including:

• Securing over $950 million for military construction projects throughout Florida, including the land acquisition and building of a Child Development Center at Eglin Air Force Base to increase access to childcare for military families in the Panhandle;
• Extending the joint use prohibition at Homestead Air Reserve Base to 2034 to protect the military mission as threats to U.S. national security rise in Latin America;
• Requiring the Secretary of War to gather information about utilizing civilian large cargo aircraft to continue the rapid growth and development of Florida’s space coast;
• A force-wide pay raise of 3.8% for military members;
• A requirement for generic drug manufacturers to disclose the country of origin for pharmaceutical ingredients, identifying the vulnerabilities presented by the U.S. government’s reliance on Communist Chinese drugs and throughout the supply chain;
• A study requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to create a comprehensive map of drug and biological product supply chain for medicines critical to our national security and at high risk for shortage;
• Banning the DoW from purchasing computers and printers made by companies based in Communist China, a U.S. adversary;
• Strongly encouraging the Secretary of Defense to invite Taiwan to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, and if an invite is not extended to Taiwan, the Secretary of War must report to Congress within 30 days why an invite was not extended to Taiwan;
• Prohibiting the DoW from purchasing solar panels (photovoltaic modules) or inverters from Communist China;
• Requiring the Secretary of War to evaluate TP-Link telecommunications equipment to determine if it should be designated as “covered telecommunications equipment or services” - a classification that restricts use in the government due to national security concerns;
• Requiring the Secretary of War to annually review and consider adding Communist Chinese entities to the official list of Chinese military companies (the "1260H List") if those entities are already on other U.S. government sanctions lists;
• Providing support for United States’ ally, Israel, and a total of $80 million for counter-tunneling cooperation;
• Allowing more than three Service Academy student-athletes to play professional sports and continue to serve our country; and
• Requiring a briefing to SASC on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a price index for certain strategic and critical materials. 

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