WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today applauded the Senate passage of the final, compromise text of the nation’s annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill, which includes key Warner-led priorities, previously passed the House, and now awaits the President’s signature.

“As the world becomes more dangerous and the technology available to our allies and adversaries alike becomes increasingly more complex, I’m pleased to see the Senate pass this bipartisan legislation,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation will strengthen our military, provide greater support to servicemembers, bolster our technological capabilities, and address challenges across the globe.”

For the Commonwealth, this bill:

1. Authorizes more than $935 million for 14 military construction projects across the Commonwealth, which Senator Warner advocated for with the Armed Services Committee. This includes:
1. $380 million for a Public-Private housing project at Naval Station Norfolk
2. $188 million for dry dock modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
3. $24 million for the completion of two Child Development Centers (JEB Little Creek-Ft Story and NS Norfolk), and $15.5 million in funding for the VA National Guard to complete the next stage of their Aircraft Maintenance Hangar project.
2. Provides more than $25 billion for Navy shipbuilding – more than $5 billion over the President’s budget request.
3. Greenlights the procurement of a third Columbia-class submarine, as well as funding for the Virginia-class submarine and aircraft carrier programs.
4. Prevents funding from being misused to reduce the workforce at any public shipyard, including Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Senator Warner had successfully pushed conferees for this provision in the final bill.
5. Authorizes NASA to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague for expenses related to relocated PFAS contaminated water wells to a safe location. From the late 1970s to 1988, PFAS were used at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. In 2017, NASA detected PFAS in wells used to provide drinking water to the Town of Chincoteague and has since needed to provide the town with drinking water – first from an uncontaminated NASA well and then through a groundwater treatment system that filtered out the PFAS. This provision was championed by Sen. Warner and based off legislation he introduced earlier this year.

For a stronger military, this bill:

1. Authorizes a 3.8 percent pay raise for servicemembers. 
2. Creates a new Personal Property Management Office, and establishes stricter requirements and oversight mechanisms for any future contract related to the servicemember PCS move process. This builds on Sen. Warner’s successful efforts to secure modifications to the military’s broken moving system. Sen. Warner previously raised concerns about ongoing delays and confusion, and sounded the alarm about missed pickups, delivery issues and communication difficulties with the military contractor responsible for moves.
3. Includes a package of reforms to barracks housing, led by Sen. Warner, which will allow for increased oversight of housing for these servicemembers. These provisions mandate a review of housing quality methodologies, reform those metrics to ensure they accurately reflect the quality of housing, and take steps to standardize methodologies across military services; develop a centralized tracking system for barracks construction needs; and improve a number of reporting requirements aimed at increasing transparency and improving the quality of housing for our servicemembers.
4. Makes a number of additional improvements to military housing policy, including increased visibility around dispute resolution payments by landlords, as well as greater transparency requirements around the calculation of housing allowance rates.

To strengthen our nation’s technological capabilities, this bill:

1. Includes Warner provisions to support DoD’s fielding of advanced nuclear technology. The bill includes provisions that would create an Advanced Nuclear Working Group responsible for accelerating the procurement and use of advanced nuclear capabilities, improving coordination across the Department and federal government to support national security missions and emergent needs. The bill also provides greater authority for DoD to attract and scale private investment in these technologies. Sen. Warner worked with bipartisan colleagues to secure inclusion of these provisions in the Senate bill.
2. Requires a strategy to reestablish a credible deterrence against cyberattacks targeting American critical infrastructure using the full spectrum of military operations.
3. Requires the establishment of a Biotechnology Management Office, as well as the development of a DoD-wide strategy to enhance the use of biotech products.
4. Requires the development of guidelines on the ethical and responsible development and deployment of biotech within DoD.
5. Requires DoD to develop a roadmap for the small, unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) industrial base to support existing sUAS programs.
6. Requires regular congressional briefings from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) intercepts by the North American Aerospace Defense Command or United States Northern Command.

To bolster our ability to address strategic global challenges, this bill:

1. Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military force posture in Europe or U.S. relinquishment of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe position until the Secretary of Defense assesses the impact on U.S. and NATO interests and certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
2. Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military posture in the Korean Peninsula or a change in wartime operational control over the Combined Forces Command until the Secretary of Defense certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
3. Authorizes $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and expands the authority to cover combat casualty care and medical equipment.
4. Directs DoD to engage with Taiwan to develop a joint program to co-develop and co-produce drone capabilities. It also directs DoD to assess Taiwan’s critical digital infrastructure and identify actions to help enable the protection of such infrastructure, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act.
5. Extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through 2029 and authorizes funding of $400 million.
6. Requires the Secretary of Defense to continue to provide intelligence support, including information, intelligence, and imagery collection to the Government of Ukraine.
7. Requires an evaluation of the intelligence capabilities of the People’s Republic of China and Russia in Cuba.
8. Directs DoD to evaluate and, if necessary, improve communication between the U.S. and Mexican militaries during border-related support.

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* High-quality photographs of Sen. Mark R. Warner are available for download here *

Photos may be used online and in print, and can be attributed to ‘The Office of Sen. Mark R. Warner’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement today on language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that could undo key safety measures implemented over the D.C. airspace in the wake of the January 29, 2025 collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):

“Buried in the NDAA, there is a provision that could make flying into the Capital region significantly less safe. The language in this provision could allow rolling back crucial new safety practices I fought to implement after the January 29 tragedy, and give the Department of Defense more discretion over safety procedures in the region. After what happened in January, it’s clear that we cannot rely on the DoD alone to be the safety authority over its flights in this area and that we need more, not less, oversight to prevent another tragedy from ever occurring again. I will be speaking to the DoD and my colleagues in Congress to highlight the significant safety risk presented by this provision.” 

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WASHINGTON – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued a statement after an investigation by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) independent watchdog found that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth violated DoD policy and endangered the lives of Virginia-based pilots by sharing classified information over an unsecure personal group chat:

“An objective, evidence-based investigation by the Pentagon’s internal watchdog leaves no doubt: Secretary Hegseth endangered the lives of American pilots based aboard the USS Harry S. Truman as they prepared to launch a mission against terrorist targets. By sharing classified operational details on an unsecure group chat on his personal phone, he created unacceptable risks to their safety and to our operational security.

“The report also notes that the IG is aware of several other Signal chats Hegseth used for official business, underscoring that this was not an isolated lapse. It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head.

“Our servicemembers, including those stationed in Virginia and around the world, expect and deserve leaders who honor the sacrifices they make every day to protect our nation and never put them at unnecessary risk. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Pete Hegseth should resign, or the president must remove him at once.”

BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO IS AVAILABLE HERE

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate warning that the United States faces a deepening threat to our security as the Trump administration continues a sweeping political purge of the FBI, dismantles America’s cyber defenses, and hollow outs the institutions responsible for protecting the homeland. Today’s remarks follow a September address in which Warner outlined concerns with the growing politicization of intelligence under the Trump administration.

In his speech today – “A Deepening Threat: How Politicizing Intelligence Endangers Our National Security” – Warner detailed how thousands of FBI agents and senior leaders have been forced out for political reasons, including the heads of the Bureau’s counterterrorism, intelligence, cyber, and critical incident response units. He warned that these purges, combined with the unprecedented reassignment of 25 to 45 percent of FBI agents working counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, and child exploitation cases to President Trump’s immigration roundups, have sharply reduced the Bureau’s ability to prevent attacks, disrupt foreign plots, and respond to cyber intrusions.

“Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation,” said Warner today.

Warner also highlighted the administration’s dismantling of core cyber infrastructure beyond the FBI. More than one-third of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been fired and pushed out, even as ransomware and destructive cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states. The administration has removed the leadership of the National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, left U.S. Cyber Command without a permanent commander, and disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections from foreign interference.

Quoting the intelligence community’s own assessments, Warner underscored the intensifying threat environment: Beijing expanding AI-enabled malign influence operations; Moscow increasing the sophistication and volume of its disinformation and cyber activities; and Iran enhancing its capacity for aggressive cyberattacks on U.S. networks and infrastructure.

Warner warned that the administration’s political interference, including the gutting of the FBI’s operational capabilities and the erosion of federal cyber defenses, is leaving Americans at growing risk.

“The next attack will not wait for Congress to act,” Warner said. “And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.”

Warner reiterated that he will return to the Senate floor in the coming weeks to continue highlighting instances of political interference across the federal government’s national security apparatus and to press for urgent action to restore integrity and protect the American people.

Senator Warner’s remarks as prepared for delivery appear below:

M. President, two months ago, I came to this floor to warn about the growing politicization of our intelligence community.

I laid out, in detail, how this administration, led by Director of National Intelligence Gabbard, was dismantling the independence, integrity, and credibility of the very institutions we rely on to keep Americans safe.

I had hoped that by sounding that alarm early, the administration might reconsider its actions… or at the very least, slow its march toward turning our intelligence agencies into instruments of political loyalty.

But instead, the situation has grown only more dangerous.

And I want to say at the outset: this will not be the last time I come to this floor on this issue.

I intend to continue making these speeches… for as long as it takes… because the stakes for our national security are too high to let this pattern go unchallenged.

Since my remarks in September, we’ve seen not restraint, but an escalation… an escalation of political retaliation, of the hollowing out of expertise, and of the outright manipulation of intelligence. We are watching, in real time, an administration strip away the guardrails that have protected this country for generations.

I have had the distinct privilege of representing the people of Virginia in this body since 2009. And in nearly 17 years, one of the most consequential responsibilities I’ve held has been serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee… first as a junior member and then, for the last eight years, as Chairman or Vice Chairman.

I always tell our new members that getting a seat on the Committee is a double-edged sword. 

On the one hand, you get access to things that no other Senators see… you see capabilities that would astonish even the most seasoned spy-novel reader among us.

But the other edge is harder: you also see the full scope of the threats facing the United States… daily reports about terrorist plots, cyber-attacks, hostile foreign services targeting our citizens and institutions.

And once you’ve seen that picture clearly, you don’t sleep quite so easily at night. 

It’s precisely because those threats are real, persistent, and in many cases, growing, that I’m so deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s reckless actions – actions that have left our country more vulnerable than at any point in recent memory.

Just last month, FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the FBI has experienced a 300percent increase in terrorist cases opened this year alone… on top of a 30percent increase in foreign espionage cases.

At the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Annual Threat Assessment hearing, Director Gabbard reiterated that foreign terrorists remain intent on striking the United States and our citizens… that a range of cyber and intelligence actors continue to target our critical infrastructure… and that state adversaries possess weapons capable of hitting U.S. territory and disabling vital U.S. systems. Indeed, in an interview earlier this month, Director Gabbard repeated that “terrorism continues to pose the greatest – both short- and long-term – threat to the American people.”

Whatever one thinks of the individuals delivering them, the assessments themselves leave no ambiguity about the dangers confronting the United States.

And yet, in spite of those clear and present threats, the Trump administration has chosen a course of action that weakens our defenses and leaves Americans more vulnerable to the very risks its own officials have publicly described.

Since Inauguration Day, the president and his hand-picked FBI Director, Kash Patel, have forced out thousands of experienced agents for reasons that appear more political than professional, like refusing to lie about who won the 2020 election, or for prosecuting the violent criminals who attacked Capitol Police officers on January 6, or simply for being friendly with someone critical of the president.

Alarming court filings suggest that even Director Patel has privately acknowledged that many of these actions may be illegal… yet justified them by saying that his position depended on carrying them out.

The list of those purged reads like a Who’s Who of the Bureau’s most decorated public servants:

Those agents forced out include the former Acting Director of the FBI, Brian Driscoll, who rose through the FBI ranks in some of its most elite units, including the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team… where in 2015 he supported U.S. Special Operations in rescuing an American humanitarian aid worker, Kayla Mueller, from ISIS. Special Agent Driscoll would later rise to be the Head of FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, the FBI’s elite team in charge of dealing with terrorists, child abductors, bomb threats, and hostage situations. For his service, Agent Driscoll was awarded the FBI Medal of Valor and the Shield of Bravery… only to have Director Patel fire him because he would not purge agents the president deemed politically disloyal.

They include Bobby Wells, who joined the FBI shortly after 9/11 and spent decades in counterterrorism. He eventually became the Head of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, leading efforts against Al Qa’ida, ISIS, and other global terrorist networks. Notably, he helped bring to justice the mastermind of the Kabul International Airport bombing that killed 13 American service members – an accomplishment publicly touted by the president – only to have the president fire him shortly thereafter.

They include Michael Nordwall, the Head of the FBI’s Criminal Cyber Response Branch, who led efforts to combat ransomware attacks, online fraud, and sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.

They include Ryan Young, the Head of FBI’s Intelligence Division… overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence on domestic and foreign threats, ensuring that field offices had the situational awareness to prevent attacks.

Other senior agents forced out include dozens of heads of FBI field offices nationwide, from Washington, D.C., to Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Seattle. 

Among them was Special Agent Jacqueline Maguire, the lead investigator into the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, whose expertise was critical to understanding 9/11 and preventing further attacks.

And most recently, they include Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI and the third head of the FBI’s elite Critical Incident Response Group to be fired in just three months. As head of the Critical Incident Response Group, he led teams tasked with responding to terrorist attacks, mass shootings, hostage crises, and high-risk national security incidents… work that requires split-second decision-making under extreme pressure. He was fired not for failing in his duties, not for misconduct, and not for political disagreements about law enforcement policy.

He was fired because the American people learned that Director Patel had been using the FBI’s $60 million jet, at $20,000 per flight, to go on dates with his girlfriend. To make matters worse, recent reporting indicates that Patel has now also pulled agents off of an FBI SWAT team to provide a personal security detail for his girlfriend… an unprecedented use of some of one our nation’s most elite units, ordinarily assigned to deal with terrorism, hostage situations, or mass shootings.

Thousands of FBI agents… all forced out, not because they failed to do their jobs, but because they refused to bend the knee to partisan politics. 

And as if that weren’t alarming enough, in recent months the FBI has reassigned between 25 and 45 percent of its agents who handle counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, child sexual abuse, and other critical missions… to immigration enforcement.

Data reveals a 33 percent decrease in the hours spent on child exploitation cases, compared to previous years.

Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation. 

Just this summer, the ODNI issued a bulletin warning of Al Qa-ida and ISIS plots targeting the homeland. And just last month, the FBI disrupted ISIS terrorist plots in Michigan and New Jersey that may have been aimed at Halloween festivities.

I shudder to think what would have happened had the FBI missed these plots… had semi-automatic rifles been unleashed on young children trick-or-treating.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents over 90percent of all active FBI agents, issued a sobering warning earlier this month that Director Patel, quote, “disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution” and that his actions, quote, “make the American public less safe.”

Unfortunately, this political purge of our country’s defenses is not limited to the FBI. 

Since April, the National Security Agency – the agency in charge of spying on the communications of our adversaries – has been without a permanent Director or Deputy Director after President Trump fired General Tim Haugh and his Deputy, Wendy Noble, at the behest of conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. 

Same for the Defense Intelligence Agency, whose director, General Jeff Kruse, was fired after DIA provided a fact-based assessment that contradicted the president’s false televised claim that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

This pattern of reckless firings has extended to nearly every corner of our national security enterprise. 

Hundreds of workers who are responsible for maintaining our country’s nuclear weapons… fired. 

Staff managing foreign assistance programs ranging from the detention of ISIS terrorists in Syria to air defense support for Ukraine… fired. 

Hundreds of analysts monitoring China and Russia… fired… including a 29-year veteran of the CIA who supported President Trump’s Alaska Summit with President Putin… whose undercover identity was publicly and incompetently disclosed by DNI Tulsi Gabbard.

More than one-third of CISA – the agency Congress established for the explicit purpose of protecting our critical infrastructure like water, power, and our elections – fired…  even as major cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states, including a massive ransomware attack on Nevada’s online government systems in August, a ransomware attack in July on local government networks in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a cyberattack on city systems in Mission, Texas in February.

The irony is stark: despite persistent efforts by China, Russia, Iran, and other adversaries, the 2020 presidential election was one of the most secure in history, thanks in large part to steps taken during the Trump administration’s first term to safeguard our critical infrastructure.

Yet now, much of that hard-won protection has been dismantled, leaving Americans more vulnerable than ever.

Cyber Command, which under General Paul Nakasone disrupted Russian troll farms in 2017, lacks a permanent Commander.  The Foreign Influence Task Force – stood up by President Trump in his first term to share information with state and local partners about foreign interference in our elections – has been disbanded entirely.

And all the while, the administration’s own intelligence reporting warns – and I quote:

“Beijing will continue to expand its coercive and subversive malign influence activities to weaken the United States…[and] is likely to feel emboldened to use malign influence more regularly in coming years, particularly as it fields AI to improve its capabilities.”

“Moscow’s malign influence activities will continue for the foreseeable future and will almost certainly increase in sophistication and volume.”

“Iran’s growing expertise and willingness to conduct aggressive cyber operations make it a major threat to the security of U.S. networks and data.”

The pattern is unmistakable: political loyalty is now valued over competence, and the very institutions created to protect Americans are being dismantled before our eyes.

We can no longer pretend that politics and national security are separate. Every day we allow this purge to continue is a day we leave Americans more exposed – in their homes, on their streets, and online.

The next attack will not wait for Congress to act. The next threat will not ask permission. And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.

This is the moment to stand up. To defend our intelligence agencies, to protect our agents, and to safeguard the American people. If we fail to act now, we will bear the cost later… a cost that could be catastrophic.

Thank you. I yield the floor.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today applauded the Senate passage of the nation’s annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill, which includes key Warner-led priorities, must now be conferenced with the House’s version of the bill, before ultimately being signed into law by the President.

“As the world becomes more dangerous and the technology available to our allies and adversaries alike becomes increasingly more complex, I’m pleased to see the Senate pass this bipartisan legislation,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation will strengthen our military, provide greater support to servicemembers, bolster our technological capabilities, and address challenges across the globe.”

For the Commonwealth, this bill:

• Authorizes more than $958 million for 13 military construction projects across the Commonwealth, which Senator Warner advocated for with the Armed Services Committee. This includes:
• $380 million for a Public-Private housing project at Naval Station Norfolk
• $188 million for dry dock modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
• $24 million for the completion of two Child Development Centers (JEB Little Creek-Ft Story and NS Norfolk), and $15.5 million in funding for the VA National Guard to complete the next stage of their Aircraft Maintenance Hangar project.
• Provides $30.9 billion for Navy shipbuilding – more than $10 billion over the President’s budget request.
• Greenlights the procurement of up to five Columbia-class submarines, as well as funding for the Virginia-class submarine and aircraft carrier programs.
• Prevents funding from being misused to reduce the workforce at any public shipyard, including Norfolk Naval Shipyard.  
• Authorizes NASA to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague for expenses related to relocated PFAS contaminated water wells to a safe location. From the late 1970s to 1988, PFAS were used at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. In 2017, NASA detected PFAS in wells used to provide drinking water to the Town of Chincoteague and has since needed to provide the town with drinking water – first from an uncontaminated NASA well and then through a groundwater treatment system that filtered out the PFAS. This provision was championed by Sen. Warner and based off legislation he introduced earlier this year.
• Includes a major housing package championed by Sen. Warner that would boost the nation’s housing supply, improve housing affordability, help reduce homelessness, expand access to homeownership, and increase oversight and efficiency of federal regulators and housing programs.
• Includes a CDFI package championed by Sen. Warner that would: 
• Expand the reach of the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program by reducing the minimum loan size needed to be eligible to utilize the program. This will allow more community development projects and make the program accessible to smaller CDFIs.
• Increase transparency within the CDFI Fund by requiring the Treasury Secretary to testify annually before Congress.
• Supports additional capacity for CDFIs in both rural and urban communities.
• Expands a USDA pilot program that works with Native CDFIs to help Native families achieve homeownership.

For a stronger military, this bill:

• Authorizes a 3.8 percent pay raise for servicemembers. 
• Creates a new Personal Property Management Office, and establishes stricter requirements and oversight mechanisms for any future contract related to the servicemember PCS move process. This builds on Sen. Warner’s successful efforts to secure modifications to the military’s broken moving system. Sen. Warner previously raised concerns about ongoing delays and confusion, and sounded the alarm about missed pickups, delivery issues and communication difficulties with the military contractor responsible for moves.
• Includes a package of reforms to barracks housing, led by Sen. Warner, which will allow for increased oversight of housing for these servicemembers. These provisions mandate a review of housing quality methodologies, reform those metrics to ensure they accurately reflect the quality of housing, and take steps to standardize methodologies across military services; develop a centralized tracking system for barracks construction needs; and improve a number of reporting requirements aimed at increasing transparency and improving the quality of housing for our servicemembers.
• Makes a number of additional improvements to military housing policy, including increased visibility around dispute resolution payments by landlords, a prohibition on mandatory non-disclosure agreements (NDA) as a condition of securing housing, as well as greater transparency requirements around the calculation of housing allowance rates.
• Creates additional safety requirements in the wake of the American Airlines Flight 5342 collision with a military helicopter over the Potomac River. Specifically, this legislation sets a requirement that all DoD aircraft operating near commercial airports be equipped with position broadcast technology. This legislation also directs the development of standard operating procedures that maximize the use of such technology, as well as a review of DoD policies and procedures for data gathering, risk assessment and risk mitigation of U.S. military flights, especially as it relates to differentiating between flights in the U.S. domestic airspace.
• Directs DoD to reverse recent name changes to Virginia military installations, specifically directing that these be reverted to the names recommended by the DoD’s Naming Commission. This bill also prohibits the Secretary of Defense from making any further changes to these names.

To strengthen our nation’s technological capabilities, this bill:

• Includes Warner provisions to support DoD’s fielding of advanced nuclear technology. The bill includes provisions that would create an Advanced Nuclear Working Group responsible for accelerating the procurement and use of advanced nuclear capabilities, improving coordination across the Department and federal government, and developing advanced nuclear pilot projects to support national security missions and emergent needs. The bill also provides greater authority for DoD to attract and scale private investment in these technologies. Sen. Warner worked with bipartisan colleagues to secure inclusion of these provisions in the Senate bill.
• Requires Cyber Command to develop an AI roadmap for industry and academic collaboration to build AI-enabled cyber tools and technologies.
• Requires a strategy to reestablish a credible deterrence against cyberattacks targeting American critical infrastructure using the full spectrum of military operations.
• Requires the establishment of a Biotechnology Management Office, as well as the development of a DoD-wide strategy to enhance the use of biotech products.
• Requires the development of guidelines on the ethical and responsible development and deployment of biotech within DoD.
• Requires DoD to develop a roadmap for the small, unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) industrial base to support existing sUAS programs.
• Requires regular congressional briefings from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) intercepts by the North American Aerospace Defense Command or United States Northern Command.

To bolster our ability to address strategic global challenges, this bill:

• Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military force posture in Europe or U.S. relinquishment of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe position until the Secretary of Defense assesses the impact on U.S. and NATO interests and certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
• Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military posture in the Korean Peninsula or a change in wartime operational control over the Combined Forces Command until the Secretary of Defense certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
• Authorizes $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and expands the authority to cover combat casualty care and medical equipment.
• Directs DoD to engage with Taiwan to develop a joint program to co-develop and co-produce drone capabilities. It also directs DoD to assess Taiwan’s critical digital infrastructure and identify actions to strengthen it.
• Extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through 2028 and increases authorized funding to $500 million.
• Requires the Secretary of Defense to continue to provide intelligence support, including information, intelligence, and imagery collection to the Government of Ukraine.
• Directs DoD to work with Ukraine to develop a depot-level maintenance plan to ensure that western-transferred military equipment can be sustained.
• Establishes a pilot program to deepen cybersecurity cooperation with the Government of Panama and the Panama Canal Authority and further protect the Panama Canal from adversarial actors.
• Requires an evaluation of the intelligence capabilities of the People’s Republic of China and Russia in Cuba.
• Requires a report to assess the advisability, feasibility, and cost of using DoD personnel in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide translation and interpretation services in connection with border security operations.
• Directs DoD to evaluate and, if necessary, improve communication between the U.S. and Mexican militaries during border-related support.

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, wrote Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard regarding concerns that she may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease disclosing attempted foreign interference in U.S. elections and requested she provide an urgent briefing on foreign election threats. The Senators also demanded Gabbard clarify her comments made about alleged “evidence” of vulnerabilities to electronic voting systems and manipulation of election results, which has not been substantiated.

As the country approaches the 2026 federal midterm elections, the Senators highlighted the importance of protecting the United States from foreign influence, including cyber threats. Warner and Padilla pushed Gabbard and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to coordinate an IC briefing on these threats by October 10th, and requested a plan for defensive cybersecurity measures ahead of the 2025 and 2026 election cycles.

This year, Gabbard has made harmful and unsubstantiated statements about voting system vulnerabilities as the Trump Administration has dismantled election security efforts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and curtailed the Congressionally authorized Foreign Malign Influence Center at ODNI. At a cabinet meeting in April, Gabbard claimed that she has “evidence” about voting manipulation in electronic voting machines, and on a right-wing podcast in July, she said that her office has evidence of voting machine vulnerabilities that it had not disclosed to the American public or Congress.

“As your testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March made clear, foreign adversaries continue to conduct influence activities to undermine public confidence in our election system and potentially even shape election outcomes,” wrote the senators. “While you have chosen not to release a declassified version of the Intelligence Community Assessment for the 2024 U.S. Elections, the final Election Security Update ahead of Election Day noted that ‘Foreign actors – particularly Russia, Iran, and China – remain intent on’ pursuing efforts to undermine public confidence in our democratic system, including inciting violence among Americans. We are concerned that you may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease its intelligence reporting on this vital topic.”

“Given sustained efforts by the current Administration to dismantle CISA’s election security mission, including discontinuing funding to the critically important Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, over the bipartisan objections of Secretaries of State, your cyber vulnerability claims are puzzling and elicit justified skepticism, as well as concerns of politicization,” continued the senators. “Since taking office, the Administration paused CISA’s election security work, fired election security staff, and staff are reportedly afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution.”

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Director Gabbard:

For the better part of the last decade, the Senate Rules Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have led efforts to educate the United States Senate, and the American public, about foreign threats to our elections. As your testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March made clear, foreign adversaries continue to conduct influence activities to undermine public confidence in our election system and potentially even shape election outcomes. While you have chosen not to release a declassified version of the Intelligence Community Assessment for the 2024 U.S. Elections, the final Election Security Update ahead of Election Day noted that “Foreign actors – particularly Russia, Iran, and China – remain intent on” pursuing efforts to undermine public confidence in our democratic system, including inciting violence among Americans. We are concerned that you may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease its intelligence reporting on this vital topic.

As the election cycle for the 2026 federal mid-term elections gets underway, and multiple state contests have already begun, we write to request that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) coordinate an IC briefing for Senators on foreign election threats, including efforts to influence election outcomes through influence or cyber-enabled means. As part of that briefing, ODNI and the IC should also update the Senate on the status of planned defensive steps to ensure the cybersecurity of several state-wide elections in November 2025 and the mid-term elections in 2026.

In addition to an intelligence briefing on these threats, we invite you to clarify public statements that you have made about voting system security, which have generated significant confusion against the backdrop of efforts to dismantle key election security initiatives and programs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and at the Foreign Malign Influence Center at ODNI. Specifically, at a cabinet meeting with the President on April 10, 2025, you stated that ODNI was “investigating” the issue of “election integrity”:

“We have evidence of how these electronic voting systems have been vulnerable to hackers for a very long time and vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the results of the votes being cast […].”

On July 31, 2025, you appeared on a partisan political podcast and repeated these claims, citing alleged information from CISA:

“[A] whistleblower who came forward who was working under CISA at that time which is responsible for critical infrastructure and trying to protect against cyber vulnerability and critical infrastructure, including of course the integrity of our elections. And what was interesting was seeing how this whistleblower brought forward information that CISA at the time – the federal government – was aware of vulnerabilities in our election machines but they chose not to disclose that information to the American people or administration at that time. […] We’re continuing to investigate this […].”

Given sustained efforts by the current Administration to dismantle CISA’s election security mission, including discontinuing funding to the critically important Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, over the bipartisan objections of Secretaries of State, your cyber vulnerability claims are puzzling and elicit justified skepticism, as well as concerns of politicization. Since taking office, the Administration paused CISA’s election security work, fired election security staff, and staff are reportedly afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution. In June, the Administration proposed to cut CISA’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget by $495 million and reduce its workforce by 30%. To date, CISA has failed to disclose its assessment of its election security work or its plans to secure future elections to Congress or the American people. According to public reports, you have also initiated a review of work of the Congressionally-authorized Foreign Malign Influence Center.

With significant elections occurring less than 60 days away, we ask that ODNI coordinate an IC briefing before October 10.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement:

“Today, President Trump will once again sit down with Vladimir Putin. While we should all hope this meeting produces a genuine step toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, given his track record of cozying up to the Kremlin, refusing to confront Russian election interference, and even taking Putin’s word over the assessments of our own intelligence agencies, I fear this meeting could once again end with America ceding ground to an autocrat who has spent his career undermining democratic values.

“Ukraine’s sovereignty is not a bargaining chip and the right of a democratic nation to determine its own future is not something to be bartered away in a closed-door meeting. For generations, the United States has carried the global mantle for freedom, self-determination, and rule of law, even when the cost was high and the outcome uncertain. Today, the world will be watching to see whether America will continue to lead with principle or shrink in the face of aggression.

“According to the U.S. intelligence community, Putin’s long-term objectives in Ukraine remain unchanged: the complete military and political capitulation of Ukraine. These objectives include the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region and other territories, the removal of the democratically elected Ukrainian government, and the establishment of a pro-Russian regime. These are not peace terms; they are ultimatums that would erase Ukraine’s sovereignty, threaten freedom worldwide, and make Americans less safe.  

“There can be no concessions without full Ukrainian participation, verified Russian withdrawal from occupied territory, and enforceable guarantees for Ukraine’s security. Anything less would be an invitation for further aggression from Moscow and every autocrat watching to see if the United States still has the backbone to defend the principles that have kept Americans safe since the Second World War.”  

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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted 52-44 to confirm Joe Kent to head the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC):

“In May, Congress received clear written evidence that Mr. Kent, while serving as chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, sought to manipulate intelligence to match a political narrative promoted by President Trump. His efforts to alter intelligence assessments in support of demonstrably false political claims is not only a gross violation of the solemn responsibility with which the intelligence community is charged, which is to speak truth to power regardless of politics, but it is also a threat to our ability to keep the nation safe. When intelligence is shaped to fit political agendas instead of hard facts, it blinds decision-makers to real threats, sows confusion among our allies, and emboldens our adversaries.

“With today’s party-line vote to confirm Mr. Kent to one of the nation’s most sensitive counterterrorism roles, the Senate missed an opportunity to hold the Trump administration accountable for openly politicizing intelligence – a precedent that, if left unchecked, threatens to erode trust in our intelligence agencies, compromise the integrity of national security assessments, and ultimately make Americans less safe.”

On May 21, the Senate Intelligence Committee received copies of emails indicating that Mr. Kent pressured career intelligence officials to revise and suppress analytical conclusions that contradicted public claims made by President Trump. Specifically, Kent pressed the National Intelligence Council (NIC) to rewrite findings about the relationship between Venezuela’s government and the criminal gang Tren de Aragua (TDA) “so this document is not used against the DNI or POTUS,” and to emphasize supposed ties between the Venezuelan government and TDA. Despite the pressure, the April 7 assessment issued by the NIC reaffirmed the original conclusion that Venezuela’s government “probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States.” Shortly thereafter, the senior career analysts leading the NIC were dismissed from their positions by DNI Gabbard.

Sen. Warner spoke in opposition to Mr. Kent’s nomination on the Senate floor prior to the vote. Video of those remarks is available here.  

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to rescind federal funding for public broadcasting and national security programs, which had previously been appropriated by a bipartisan majority in Congress:

“It’s outrageous that enough Republicans caved to President Trump and OMB Director Vought’s pressure to go back on appropriations deals that a bipartisan majority of Congress had previously agreed to. A deal should be a deal. These cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the State Department, and USAID will make it harder for communities to access critical emergency alerts during disasters, and create more instability around the world by defunding initiatives that protect our national security. Republican efforts to defund faith-based charity organizations are particularly sickening. The Trump Administration and our Republican colleagues are not going to stop here, and we urge every American to continue to speak out against these attacks on the interests of the American people. We will continue to fight against further efforts by the Administration and Republicans to defund critical programs that Virginians rely on.”

The Republican rescissions package cancels funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including $100 million for Virginia. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was authorized by Congress in 1967 and supports more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and TV stations, nearly half of which serve rural communities. It also cancels funding for the State Department and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), including for global health programs, faith-based organizations, Afghan refugee programs, United Nations peacekeeping operations, the U.S. Institute for Peace, the Inter-American Foundation, and the African Development Foundation. The legislation will impact thousands of Virginia’s federal employees and contractors. A recent study found that if the current cuts to USAID continue through 2030, 14 million people could die.

Sens. Warner and Kaine filed a series of amendments in an attempt to improve the legislation, but none of them were added to the final legislation.

Sen. Warner’s amendment would have reduced cuts to assistance for African nations and helped strengthen trade, counter the malign influence of adversaries, and pursue economic development. The amendment would have helped ensure that China could not capitalize on the sudden vacuum of influence that will ensue if America withdraws its economic development initiatives on the continent.

Sen. Kaine’s amendments included eliminating cuts in funding for the Migration and Refugee Assistance and International Disaster Assistance programs, including funding for faith-based organizations; protecting funding for USAID and the Inter-American Foundation; preserving funding to defend against cyberattacks by Russia and Iran and keep fentanyl out of the United States; and eliminating cuts in funding for CPB for pre-K educational programming and any broadcasts and media stations that disseminate information during natural disasters and national emergencies.

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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today released the following statement:

“President Trump came into office promising to ‘end the endless foreign wars.’ Tonight, he took steps that could drag the United States into another one, without consulting Congress, without a clear strategy, without regard to the consistent conclusions of the intelligence community, and without explaining to the American people what’s at stake.

“There is no question that Iran poses a serious threat to regional stability, and the United States must remain unwavering in our commitment to Israel’s security and in ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. But launching direct military strikes without authorization from or consultation with Congress raises urgent questions: What is the president’s objective? How is he measuring success? And what’s the plan to prevent this from dragging our country into another open-ended conflict in the Middle East that costs American lives and resources for years to come?

“The Constitution makes clear that the power to authorize war lies with Congress. There are more than 40,000 U.S. servicemembers deployed across the region, as well as American diplomats, contractors, and aid workers, and the safety of our personnel must be paramount. With American lives and our national security on the line, any action that could draw the United States into a broader conflict demands transparency, accountability, and a clear strategy. So far, the president has offered none of these.

“The American people deserve more than vague rhetoric and unilateral decisions that could set off a wider war. The president must come before Congress immediately to articulate clear strategic objectives and lay out how he plans to protect American lives and ensure we are not once again drawn into a costly, unnecessary, and avoidable conflict.”

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