Congress Eyes Passage of National Defense Authorization Act
Trucking, Coast Guard Provisions Tucked Into Annual Defense Policy Bill
Key Takeaways:
- Congress advanced a $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act that the Senate is expected to clear as early as the week of Dec. 15.
- The bill includes major acquisition reforms, a 3.8% military pay raise and Coast Guard upgrades, along with trucking-related freight, relocation and driver access provisions.
- Lawmakers have not set a timeline for fiscal 2026 appropriations, leaving key transportation agencies at risk of a partial shutdown when funding expires at January’s end.
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Congress’ legislative sprint to the finish is here as lawmakers wrap up work before they leave Washington for the holidays.
The House-passed National Defense Authorization Act would approve about $900 billion for projects and programs at the Pentagon. The must-pass policy bill is on track for final passage in the Senate.
This comprehensive, wide-ranging defense measure includes provisions linked to military pay and upgrades to installations, weapons technologies, severe weather resilience, energy directives and transportation guidance.
Specific to trucking policy, the measure proposes improvements to the procedures associated with moving military freight and relocation assistance for thousands of service members and their families. The bill also includes requirements for the Defense Department to enhance restroom access for drivers operating at military installations. And the bill would seek to strengthen certain transportation procurement regulations.
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On Dec. 10, pointing to the bill’s big-picture objectives, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said, “The [fiscal 2026] NDAA includes a series of reforms to put commercial solutions first, eliminate regulatory burdens, end bureaucratic inertia and put in place a system that will deliver capability to the warfighter at speed and scale.”
“Fixing acquisitions,” Rogers went on, “will go a long way toward ensuring our warfighters are the most capable fighting force on the planet.”
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Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the panel’s ranking member, said, “This year’s bill delivers the most significant acquisition reforms in a generation. It includes a 3.8% pay raise for all service members; extends efforts to improve child care and military housing; and protects civilian workers from arbitrary reductions in force.
“It includes significant investments in science and technology so that we remain on the cutting edge of advancements for a strong national defense. And it shows allies and partners that the United States still stands with them, including Ukraine and throughout Europe.”
Tucked in the legislation is an update of Coast Guard programs associated with the nation’s borders, maritime safety and commerce, and technology upgrades.
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“I’m grateful that the Coast Guard Authorization Act was included in this year’s NDAA,” Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) said Dec. 10. “This legislation provides the men and women of the Coast Guard — one of our nation’s six armed services — with the resources they need to carry out their many missions vital to national security, the safety of Americans and mariners, and our economy. The legislation also builds on the historic investments in modernizing the Coast Guard’s air and sea assets provided through the budget reconciliation process, and it supports the administration’s vision to strengthen America’s maritime and shipbuilding capabilities.”
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) added, “Passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 through the NDAA ensures the Coast Guard has the resources it needs to remain mission ready.”
The Senate is expected to clear the NDAA for the White House as early as the week of Dec. 15.
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Meanwhile, congressional Republicans have yet to detail a timeline for approving fiscal 2026 funding bills that would avert a partial government shutdown in January. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) earlier this month pressed colleagues to finalize bipartisan bills in order to “be able to proceed forward on the appropriations process.”
Since then, neither the Senate nor the House has announced a path for approving new appropriations bills for the Department of Transportation and federal agencies. Funding for DOT and other departments is scheduled to expire at the end of January. If Congress does not clear for President Donald Trump new funding bills, then another partial federal shutdown would be triggered.
RELATED: Trucking Rolls On as Shutdown Stalls Other DOT Sectors
This fall, agencies experienced a shutdown of 43 days — a record for the federal government.
A Senate committee-passed version of the fiscal 2026 transportation bill would provide $927 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That bill also would provide the Federal Highway Administration $63.3 billion, the Federal Aviation Administration $22 billion, the Federal Transit Administration $16.8 billion and the Federal Railroad Administration $2.9 billion. The House version of the bill would approve similar funding levels for those agencies as well as dedicate $200 million for programs that would improve parking access for truck drivers.
Truck parking ranked fourth on the ’s 2025 top industry issues list.
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