WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) announced the introduction of amendments to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to support the health of servicemembers, safe housing for military families and higher pay. 

“The service that the Mighty Medics of the 6th Medical Group provide to their patients is unmatched, and they keep our MacDill community safe, healthy, and mission-ready.  The Sabal Park Clinic, in particular, helps provide important access to our troops and their families, including both basic care and appropriate management of specialty care. I was proud to introduce a bipartisan amendment to preserve access to this critical clinic following threats to close the clinic.

“MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida, is also home to the 6th Air Refueling Wing and additional mission partners, including U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and the 927th Air Refueling Wing. The servicemembers who call MacDill AFB home deserve to have the best living conditions, but the housing contractor has failed to deliver the highest quality housing. My amendment will hold the housing contractor accountable. Finally, servicemembers and the civilian staff who support the Department of Defense deserve a pay scale that helps them keep up with the rising costs of our region, and my amendment prods the Administration to revise the locality pay in our high-cost region.” 

Castor’s amendments would:

• Prohibit funds from being used to close a military treatment facility without an appropriate risk analysis and report to Congress.
• Require the Secretary of Defense to submit a report assessing the locality pay system for Department of Defense employees.
• Require a quarterly report to Congress on the performance standards and quality of service provided by privatized housing companies to military installations, specifically those located in extreme weather/chronically hurricane-impacted areas.