Randall’s Bipartisan Bill to Boost Funding for Tribes Neighboring Military Bases Passes House
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2027 by a vote of 216-212. Congresswoman Emily Randall (D, WA-06) ultimately voted NO on the overall package, but worked to secure multiple wins for Washington state communities in the bill, including her bipartisan DCIP Tribal Eligibility Act to expand funding opportunities for Tribes that neighbor military installations, and her amendment to extend the annual cyber resiliency assessment requirement for the nuclear command and control system until December 31, 2035.
"In Washington’s 6th district, collaboration and partnerships between local military installations and Tribal Nations are vital for military readiness,” said Rep. Randall when the bill was introduced earlier this year. “Tribal Nations do critical work to support Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Naval Base Kitsap, and other military installations. This legislation would correct a long-standing inequity and open up new funding opportunities for Tribal governments to continue these key partnerships."
The Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) Tribal Eligibility Act would change program eligibility requirements to allow Tribal governments to apply for grants under DCIP. Currently, Tribal governments are ineligible to apply for funding under DCIP’s grant authority, despite their role in supporting military installations and defense communities nationwide. Randall introduced the bill alongside Rep. Rob Wittman (R, VA-01) in February.
“Tribal Nations are proud partners in our nation's defense. By ensuring tribal governments are eligible for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, Congress is strengthening military readiness and reinforcing the government-to-government relationship between Tribal Nations and the United States. The Suquamish Tribe strongly supports this legislation. The Tribe has long partnered with the three installations that comprise Naval Base Kitsap, located within our aboriginal homelands, and looks forward to continued collaboration to advance critical infrastructure, regional stability, and mission success. We would like to thank Representative Randall and Representative Wittman for their leadership,” said Josh Bagley, Vice Chair of the Suquamish Tribe when the bill was introduced.
Historically, the DCIP provides grants to state and local governments for off-base infrastructure that supports military installations. These investments strengthen military readiness and benefit service members and their families by improving transportation, schools, utilities, hospitals, and other essential infrastructure.
Tribal nations who neighbor military bases are often already doing this work to support critical infrastructure projects that support military communities. This bill would amend the current language to include Tribal governments as eligible, “state and local,” entities in order to apply for DCIP grants.
Randall ultimately voted no on the overall NDAA package: “I’m voting no on the NDAA. As someone who represents so many military-connected families at Naval Base Kitsap and Joint Base Lewis-McChord — it's not something I'm excited about.
“I worked hard to make this bill as good as possible; to ensure that we're offering support for military families, wages and benefits support, infrastructure investments, and including my bill to ensure that Tribal nations are eligible entities for DCIP or [the] Defense Community Infrastructure Program to invest in the needs of communities surrounding naval installations and military installations.
“But I can't vote for this bill because it gives Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump unchecked power to continue pointless wars in Iran, to ban trans kids from getting gender-affirming care [through] TRICARE – even mental health care, bans [trans] kids [from] playing sports [on military bases], and it doesn't meet the needs of our communities.
“Folks are hungry. They're not able to afford the daily cost of living, they're struggling to afford housing. They need health care, and instead, we're sending over a trillion dollars to Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth to do what they want. I don't trust it, and I'm voting no.”