Pappas Secures Protections for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Military Pay Raise in NDAA
Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), founding member of the bipartisan Public Shipyard Caucus, voted to pass the bipartisan FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes language based on his legislation, the Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act, to protect the civilian workforce at America’s four public shipyards, including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, from the Trump Administration’s reckless hiring freezes and mass layoffs.
The legislation also includes a 3.8% pay increase for members of the U.S. military, improves food security, health care, childcare, and housing needs of military families, reauthorizes the U.S. Coast Guard for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and aggressively cracks down on fentanyl traffickers and funds vital counter-narcotics operations.
“As America continues to confront challenges across the globe, it is essential we reauthorize our national defense programs and give our service members the resources and tools they need to project American power and values throughout the world, safeguard our interests from authoritarian regimes, and stand with our allies,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “This bipartisan legislation includes a key provision I fought to include that will protect the civilian workforce at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from the Trump administration’s mass layoffs that hurt Shipyard personnel, our economy, and our military readiness. It also includes a much-deserved pay raise for service members, additional health care, child care, and housing support for military families, and expands counter-narcotic and fentanyl trafficking operations."
"I share the frustrations of colleagues on both sides of the aisle over the lack of an open amendment process and insufficient details about new weapon systems authorized by this bill. While I cast my vote in favor of this bipartisan legislation that strengthens our defense, boosts New Hampshire’s economy, and improves our service members' quality of life, I will continue working to ensure Congress provides strict oversight of the Administration, holds the Department of Defense accountable for passing an audit, and responsibly spends taxpayer dollars.”
Background:
Since President Trump took office, Pappas has worked to protect civilian workers who play a critical role in maintaining U.S. national security. In February, he joined workers from PNSY to discuss the impact of the administration’s job cuts and hiring freezes, which led the Shipyard to pause hiring. In March Pappas led his House colleagues in further sounding the alarm over the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze and workforce cuts. Later that month, the U.S. Department of Defense exempted the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workforce from the civilian hiring freeze.
In July the New Hampshire Congressional delegation also called on General Steven Nordhaus, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to exempt critical safety roles, including firefighters and air traffic controllers, from its planned 10.7% reduction to federal civilians at the Air National Guard (ANG). More than half of the civilian employees at Pease Air National Guard Base are civilian emergency personnel and air traffic controllers, and the proposed cuts could devastate the important role Pease plays in supporting emergency services in the region, including at Portsmouth International Airport.
In August Pappas and Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) introduced the bipartisan Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act. This legislation would exempt the workforces of America’s four public shipyards from recent hiring freezes and mass layoffs. This bipartisan legislation is led in the Senate by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Angus King (I-ME). Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) is a cosponsor of the House bill. During the conference process for the FY 2026 NDAA, Pappas called on the leadership of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to include these provisions in their final bill text.