Despite several major conservative victories within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Rep. Chip Roy cast a firm “no” vote Wednesday evening, arguing that the final package ultimately failed to uphold core principles of fiscal restraint, national security and constitutional governance.
Roy praised the bill’s meaningful steps toward dismantling woke military policies and restoring mission-first priorities at the Pentagon, but emphasized that the Senate and House conference watered down or removed critical reforms demanded by conservatives.
Roy highlighted several significant wins included in the NDAA — some of which he personally authored — that conservatives have been fighting for:
Roy called the repeal of these decades-old war authorizations a “historic win” for constitutional governance.
For the first time in history, Congress is removing an Authorization for Use of Military Force from the books — reaffirming that presidents cannot rely on outdated statutes to wage modern conflicts.
“It marks real progress toward restoring proper war powers,” Roy said, noting his bipartisan work with Rep. Meeks and the late Rep. Barbara Lee to make it happen.
The NDAA permanently eliminates statutory DEI requirements and bars men from competing in women’s sports at America’s Service Academies — two high-priority conservative goals.
The bill requires the Intelligence Community to expose what role the Chinese Communist Party played in unleashing COVID-19, a longstanding demand from lawmakers seeking accountability.
“These reforms represent meaningful progress toward ending ideological distractions,” Roy said.
Despite the wins, Roy argued the final product “contained serious failures” that he could not overlook.
The NDAA’s final price tag is $8 billion above the House’s own budget target — forcing Congress to scramble later to find cuts just to keep spending flat.
While the bill does prohibit TRICARE from paying for gender-transition surgeries, it still allows federal coverage of cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers.
Roy blasted this as “an unacceptable loophole,” saying defense dollars shouldn’t subsidize gender ideology in any form.
The NDAA extends U.S. funding for Ukraine for two more years despite no clear commitment from President Zelenskyy to pursue President Trump’s proposed peace plan — or any plan that signals an end to what Roy called “the endless war.”
One of Roy’s fiercest objections was the stripping of House Republicans’ ban on a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
The original House bill would have prevented the Federal Reserve from creating or even testing a government-run digital currency — something conservatives warn could be used to monitor or control Americans’ private transactions.
Roy called the removal of these protections “one of the most troubling failures” of the final NDAA.
The bill maintains a controversial provision allowing only U.S. senators — not ordinary Americans — to pursue costly agency-related claims, a carve-out Roy called elitist and indefensible.
Roy said the combination of overspending, harmful policy loopholes, extended foreign-aid commitments and the removal of conservative reforms forced him to oppose the final legislation despite the victories he helped secure.
“Although this NDAA contains several positive and long-overdue reforms, the increased deficit spending, the inclusion of unacceptable policies that run counter to the department’s mission and the exclusion of promised reforms like the anti-CBDC policies regrettably required me to vote against the legislation,” Roy said.
Conservatives in Congress are expected to continue pressing leadership to ensure future defense packages prioritize fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty and the mission-focused military that Americans deserve.
