Congressman Gonzalez Votes to Pass Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act

Contact: Alexis Torres

Washington, D.C.—Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) released the following statement on voting in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2026, which authorizes $890 billion in discretionary funding for our national defense and 3.8% pay raises for all military personnel. The bill now heads to the Senate before reaching the President’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law.

Additionally, language from the Congressman’s House-passed amendment in response to the murder of Brownsville native, Seaman Angelina Resendiz, was included in the accompanying NDAA’s Joint Explanatory Statement. It requires the Secretary of Defense to brief Congress within 180 days, detailing  the number of service members found deceased in the last five years while on duty and outlining how being designated as “Unauthorized Absence (UA)” or “Absent Without Leave (AWOL)” instead of “Duty-Status Whereabouts Uknown (DUSTWUN)” impacted investigative response times in these cases. Despite early warnings from her colleagues, friends, and family, Seaman Resendiz was missing for nearly two weeks before her body was found in a wooded area near Naval Station Norfolk on June 9, 2025.

“To keep Americans safe and our military strong, Congress has an obligation to annually fund the advancement of our nation’s defense priorities,” said Congressman Gonzalez. “I voted to support well-deserved pay raises for all service members around the globe, including at Naval Air Stations in Kingsville and Corpus Christi. Also included with this bill is a report that contains language I authored in response to the horrific murder of my constituent, Seaman Angelina Resendiz, to increase accountability, transparency and urgency in investigating service members who go missing while on duty. We must do better by the brave men and women who answer the call to serve, and this is an important step towards ensuring no family endures the same pain and uncertainty as the Resendiz family.”  

Congressman Gonzalez has led efforts in response to the death of Seaman Resendiz and prevent this from happening to other service members.

• June 24, 2025: Congressman Gonzalez met with members of the League of United Latin American Citizens to discuss the case of Seaman Resendiz. He also met with the mother of Seaman Resendiz, Esmeralda “Esme” Castle.
• July 10, 2025: Congressman Gonzalez led a group of 16 Democratic members of Congress, including every Latino Democrat in the Texas delegation, in sending a letter to Secretary of the Navy John Phelan inquiring about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and death of Seaman Resendiz.
• July 16, 2025: The Navy sent an interim response acknowledging receipt and committed to sending a full response by August 15, 2025.
• September 2, 2025: The Secretary of the Navy sent an official response. However, it does not answer any of the Members’ questions in the initial 7/10 letter, nor does it provide any additional information about the case’s status.
• September 10, 2025: Congressman Gonzalez voted for the House-version of FY26 NDAA, which includes his amendment in response to Seaman Resendiz’s death. Specifically, the amendment would require the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress detailing the number of service members who have been found deceased over the last 10 years who, like Seaman Resendiz, were first designated as “Absent Without Leave (AWOL)” or “Unauthorized Absence (UA)” instead of “Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN).”
• November 19, 2025: Congressman Gonzalez sent a letter to the NDAA Conference Committee asking for inclusion of three of his priorities in the final version of the FY26 NDAA, including his House-passed amendment.
• December 10, 2025: Congressman Gonzales voted in favor of the NDAA, which includes parts of his amendment language in the Joint Explanatory Statement.