NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT UPDATES
Last week, the House Armed Services Committee advanced the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). After considering nearly 700 amendments, the committee advanced the measure in a 55-2 vote. The bill would authorize $848.2 billion in defense spending, which is consistent with the levels requested by the Trump administration. The bill contains several research security provisions, including the following:
- an extension of a prohibition on research security collaborations with certain academic institutions
- prohibition on gain-of-function research
- prohibition on certain DOD funded researchers from future employment with foreign entities of concern
The Senate Armed Services Committee filed its version of the defense policy bill, which includes language that would prohibit changing or modifying indirect cost rates “for Department of Defense grants and contracts awarded to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations” until the secretary has certified to congressional defense committees that DOD has worked with the extramural research community to develop “an alternative indirect cost model.” The Senate version also includes several research security provisions, including the following:
- prohibition on contracts between certain foreign entities and universities conducting DOD-funded research
- restriction on DOD funding to universities with research collaborations with foreign entities on identified on DOD’s Section 1286 list
