Lake County Times

Congressman Dave Joyce of Ohio’s 14th district voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The legislation, which passed the House, includes measures to increase pay and benefits for military personnel and their families, streamline acquisition processes to promote readiness, and implement budget reforms aimed at saving taxpayer money.

“The passage of this year’s NDAA ensures that our military will have the resources they need to respond to any threat we face across the globe,” said Congressman Joyce. “Taking care of our troops and their families, cutting red tape for weapons procurement, and cutting out unnecessary spending in the Pentagon are all commonsense reforms that will refocus our military to its core mission. I was proud to see it pass the House with some of the major priorities I fought to include.”

The FY26 NDAA incorporates three amendments championed by Joyce. One requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to launch a two-year pilot program providing suicide prevention resources on smart devices issued to service members and training on these tools. Another amendment authorizes Project Spectrum, a DoD Small Business Office initiative started during the Trump Administration that awards grants helping small businesses improve cybersecurity so they can compete for defense contracts. The third directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report detailing plans for defining and communicating reenlistment waiver processes—specifically clarifying standards regarding waivers after positive THC toxicology tests—and assessing whether individuals previously denied due to legal cannabis use might be eligible.

Beyond these amendments, provisions in this year’s NDAA include a 3.8% pay raise for all service members; expanded access to healthcare, childcare, and housing; reduced acquisition decision timelines from nearly three years down to as few as 90 days; removal of barriers hindering commercial innovation adoption; $1.2 billion saved from retiring obsolete weapons programs; $5 billion saved through cuts to inefficient defense programs; review requirements related to digital engineering standards across military services; and an extension of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative focused on U.S. posture in the Indo-Pacific region.

Joyce has represented Ohio's 14th congressional district since 2013 after succeeding Steve LaTourette (source). Born in Cleveland in 1957, he currently resides in South Russell (source). He earned both his BS (1979) and JD (1982) from the University of Dayton.