As Chairman of the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee (MilCon-VA), I’m championing policies that strengthen our national defense while bettering the lives of veterans, servicemembers and their loved ones. I am encouraged that my colleagues recently advanced my bipartisan legislation to the full Senate that demonstrates our commitment to those who have served.

The Natural State can be proud of its defense and national security footprint. In my MilCon-VA bill, we are supporting investments to ensure this continues. I am proud to lead efforts to make Arkansas an ideal location to train and equip our military and our allies.

The Fiscal Year 2026 MilCon-VA Appropriations Act secures critical funding for Arkansas defense and military priorities, such as support for the planning and construction of multiple Arkansas National Guard projects as well as the Red River Army Depot’s component rebuild shop to repair and extend the life of military equipment. I’m pleased to join the Arkansas Congressional Delegation in championing efforts that ensure our state has a key role in defending American freedoms and interests. 

This bill also delivers meaningful investments that will improve the lives of those who wear and have worn our nation’s uniform. The bill will improve military and family housing, women veterans’ health care, access to mental health care and suicide prevention services. It will also bolster telehealth, invest in medical innovation and provide funding to modernize and update VA hospital IT systems.

Every servicemember and veteran matters. Improving the policies and programs that help men and women who served in our nation’s uniform, along with their families, is part of our commitment – it’s a promise we must keep.  

One of the ways we can do this is by advancing policies that address modern threats, including those that put our military facilities at increased risk.

The non-partisan Hudson Institute recently hosted an event that brought together experts in this area. I was pleased to participate and discuss how the U.S. and our allies must adapt to the emerging threat of weaponized drones. I appreciated the opportunity to explore, in this setting, our future and highlight how The Natural State is already rising to the challenge.

In my role as MilCon-VA chair, I have engaged in discussions with senior defense officials about how we can work together to better secure our infrastructure. We have talked about what investments we need to make in our physical infrastructure to harden against attacks from drones, and we have discussed what types of technologies we need to develop in order to track and defeat them.

As we develop these new technologies, I have also made the case that Arkansas is an ideal place to manufacture. Local, state and federal leaders, along with private businesses, have invested in making our state a premier location to do this type of work.

It’s important for Arkansas to remain at the forefront of defending our interests and advancing our nation’s military capabilities. I’m proud to support initiatives that impact these missions and look forward to supporting the MilCon-VA bill on the Senate floor to empower defense missions in our state and fulfill our commitment to those called to serve.