U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the 3 million members of the National Education Association, including educators who support and teach students at Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, we submit these vote recommendations in conjunction with the House’s consideration of H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. Votes related to this issue may be scored in NEA’s Report Card for the 119th Congress.
Six thousand DoDEA educators are represented by the Federal Education Association (FEA). These educators are passionate about ensuring that military-connected students, whose families often face frequent deployments and relocations, have access to an education that inspires their desire to learn and sets them up for success.
In recognition of students’ and educators’ unique circumstances, we urge you to VOTE YES on:
- Amendment 36 (Reps. Aderholt, Houlahan, and Tenney): Dual and concurrent enrollment courses are not currently offered at DoDEA schools. This amendment authorizes DoDEA to make arrangements with institutions of higher education to create access to such programs. It would also provide financial assistance to students to cover the programs’ cost. The amendment protects students and DoDEA from predatory institutions of higher education, protects in-state residency for participating students under the purpose of in-state tuition rates and eligibility for state-based financial aid, and promotes academic credit transferability through establishing credit transfer and articulation agreements with participating institutions of higher education.
- Amendment 92 (Reps. Castor and Lee): The amendment prevents using funds from the NDAA to close military hospitals and clinics (military treatment facilities, or MTFs), which provide care to DoDEA educators, DoD civilian workers, and their dependents, without an appropriate risk analysis and report to Congress. Since 2022, educators—and other overseas DoD civilian employees—have faced a crisis in the availability of health care, particularly in the Pacific region. Closing additional facilities would exacerbate this crisis.
- Amendment 93 (Reps. Castro, Gonzales, Moylan, Horsford, and Casar): The amendment requires the DoD to publicly disclose annual statistics on civilian care at military treatment facilities, including: total civilian medical debt held at each MTF; the number of civilians treated; the number of patients receiving debt waivers or reductions since the modified waiver program was implemented; and the average size of reduced bills. These statistics will provide insight into the handling of DoD civilian health care at MTFs.
In addition, we ask you to VOTE YES on any NDAA amendments that would increase support for special education services, programs, and staff members, as well as amendments that increase access to comprehensive services, such as school-based mental health services, that enhance student learning and well-being. Such support would be consistent with recommendations from an April 2025 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which found that special education and related services in DoDEA schools “were often limited or unavailable, resulting in service delays or disruptions.” Specifically, the study found delays in services for students in 44 of DoDEA’s 114 overseas schools in 2022-23.
We urge you to VOTE NO on:
- Amendment 19 (Reps. Onder, Perry, and Fulcher): This would strike language restoring collective bargaining rights for all Department of Defense employees, including DoDEA educators. These rights were stripped away via a March 27 executive order by President Trump, but they are essential to educators’ freedom to advocate for the best possible learning conditions for students. (In April, 44 members of Congress sent a bipartisan letter to the Department of Defense urging an exemption for DoDEA from the executive order.)
We also ask you to VOTE NO on any amendments that negatively impact LGBTQ+ students and educators by stoking hostility or making them the targets of derision and harassment. Such measures degrade the nurturing environments that promote learning and growth.
Military-connected students face many challenges, as do the educators who are dedicated to supporting them. Because of the sacrifices that military families make on our nation’s behalf, we appreciate your consideration and ask that you provide DoDEA students and educators with the resources and tools they need.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Johnson Trinca
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
