Rep. French Hill (AR-02) voted in favor of H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery (SPEED) and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 231-196. The legislation supports military personnel and families, modernizes military capabilities, and includes two amendments introduced by Hill that aim to benefit central Arkansas.
“Maintaining a strong national defense is one of Congress’s most important responsibilities. With aggression from foreign adversaries like China and Russia continuing, and a security environment that is increasingly dynamic and complex, America’s military must have the capabilities necessary to confront emerging challenges. This bill makes critical investments to keep our forces the strongest in the world. It delivers well-deserved pay raises for servicemembers in Arkansas and ensures they have the weapons, training, and support needed to deter threats and defend our nation,” said Hill.
“I am especially proud that two of my amendments were included in this year’s NDAA. The first requires the Air Force to submit a report on C-130J training capacity and requirements, which could result in more C-130Js being assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base. The second supports the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, which provides world-class marksmanship training for National Guard members from across the country,” Hill added.
The NDAA authorizes approximately $892.6 billion for national defense funding, with $844 billion allocated to the Department of Defense and $34 billion to the Department of Energy. It provides a 3.8 percent pay raise for all servicemembers, expands military bonuses, increases family separation allowance, broadens housing allowance eligibility, enhances bereavement leave policies, funds modernization efforts such as F-35 fighters and B-21 bombers, and emphasizes accountability within military ranks.
Hill’s first amendment requires a report from the Secretary of the Air Force on C-130J Formal Training Unit operations, reviewing throughput, backlogs, annual training numbers, and future plans through fiscal year 2030. The second amendment directs the Secretary of the Army to designate the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center as an institution under Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), make its courses focused on Guardsmen needs, award Master Marksmanship identifiers to Guardsmen who complete them, integrate programs into Army planning documents, and ensure continued inclusion within the Arkansas National Guard.
French Hill has served as U.S. Representative for Arkansas’ 2nd District since 2015 after succeeding Tim Griffin. Born in Little Rock in 1956, he continues to reside there today.
