BLUMENTHAL WELCOMES SENATE PASSAGE OF NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL WITH MAJOR WINS FOR CONNECTICUT

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) welcomed Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Blumenthal championed provisions in the NDAA to bolster Connecticut’s defense industrial base and its workforce.

“This defense authorization bill makes major investments in Connecticut’s worldclass manufacturing base. This NDAA is a serious, longterm to commitment to our national security and our state’s workforce. I am proud to represent thousands of talented, dedicated men and women who are building the technologies of the future, and to fight for the resources they need to support our men and women in uniform. They should never have a fair fight in defending against foreign foes,” said Blumenthal.

As a member of the Committee tasked with crafting the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026, Blumenthal successfully advocated for the inclusion of several provisions that bolster Connecticut’s submarine and aircraft industries, sustaining these key businesses whose products uphold a vital segment of Connecticut’s economy and provide the nation with an asymmetric advantage. Blumenthal delivered provisions that:

• Provide $2.016 billion to fund one Virginia Class submarine;
• Provide $3.9 billion to support construction of a Columbia Class ballistic missile submarine;
• Provide $5 billion to support advanced procurement of the Columbia class program, the Navy’s top acquisitions priority;
• Authorize procurement for not more than five Columbia-class submarines;
• Provide $732 million to support multiyear procurement for UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters;
• Provide $1.7 billion to support procurement of Sikorsky’s CH-53K heavy-lift air frames;
• Provide $107 million to support the HH-60W Jolly Green II program, providing the U.S. Air Force with additional platforms to accomplish combat search-and-rescue and personnel recovery missions that save service members’ lives;
• Authorize procurement of 34 F-35A aircraft;
• Establish an Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Armaments Cooperation to improve the Pentagon’s ability to understand allied and partner industrial bases and conduct win-win industrial base integration efforts.

-30-