General Messaging Guidance: HASC FY26 NDAA Debate
To help you prepare for the House Armed Services Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), National Security Action has compiled the below public opinion data and suggested messaging guidance on anticipated amendment topics.
Signalgate & Handling of Classified Information
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sent the timing and location of impending military strikes to the editor in chief of The Atlantic, his wife, his brother, and his personal lawyer using an unsecured commercial platform. National Security Action’s June 2025 polling found 67% of voters opposed Hegseth’s use of Signal to discuss classified information. Only 15% were in favor.
Hegseth’s actions unnecessarily risked the lives of the service members carrying out their missions and exposed a willful disregard for security protocols at the highest levels of the Trump Administration.
If any other U.S. government employee intentionally shared classified information on an unclassified platform, that individual’s security clearance would be revoked and they would be subject to prosecution. Apparently Pete Hegseth holds himself to a different standard.
We need trustworthy and competent civilians leading our military who take that responsibility seriously, not this clown show.
Officer Firings and Personnel Cuts
Pete Hegseth made sweeping personnel changes at the Pentagon. He fired at least 20% of all four-star generals, as well as a rapid purge of senior military leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the only two women serving as four-star officers, one of whom was the Navy’s top admiral. These firings threw the force into a leadership crisis and removed some of the nation’s most exemplary leaders from service – to the detriment of U.S. national security. National Security Action’s polling found 58% of voters, including 57% of independents, disapprove of the Trump Administration’s firing and removal of career national security officials and military officers. 56% of voters oppose Trump’s removal of 20% of the military’s four-star generals, and 77% of voters oppose firing people of color and women from positions of leadership and replacing them with white men.
Hegseth claims to be a change agent. But in reality, he’s making Americans less safe by ousting the Pentagon’s most qualified and experienced leaders.
Trump campaigned as the president who would end “forever wars.” But under his watch, conflicts around the world continue to get worse.
Now more than ever, we need experienced, responsible, non-partisan national security leaders to help prevent wars, promote global stability, and safeguard U.S. interests around the world.
Qatar Plane Gift & Trump Grift
The Trump Administration formally accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from the government of Qatar, which President Donald Trump has said he intends to temporarily use as a new Air Force One. The plane, which industry executives estimate is worth about $200 million, is the largest gift ever accepted by an American president from a foreign government. National Security Action’s polling found, by 52% to 37%, voters say Trump’s dealings with other countries are based more on what is best for his own financial interests than what is best for America.
This is a security nightmare that will cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to upgrade, only for it to then be passed off for Donald Trump’s personal use after he leaves office.
In 2029, the next President of the United States will likely return to flying in the current version of Air Force One – and the American people will be left wondering what we just spent hundreds of millions of dollars on.
Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Time and time again, Donald Trump is using the power of the presidency to benefit himself and create conflicts of interest that put America at risk.
Using the Military to Support Immigration Enforcement
President Trump took extraordinary action by calling up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in California, making rare use of federal powers and bypassing the authority of the state’s governor. According to recent polling from Navigator Research, 57% of Americans find Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles either very concerning or somewhat concerning, including 58% of independents and 35% of Republicans.
Donald Trump’s mobilization of the National Guard was an extreme, dangerous, and unnecessary escalation designed not to keep the peace – but to inflame tensions, sow chaos, and escalate the situation.
The United States military has a vital role to play in keeping our nation safe from foreign adversaries; that role does not include enforcing any president’s political agenda against American citizens.
Ukraine
The Trump Administration has failed to secure a lasting ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, despite Trump’s promise to end the war on “day one” of his presidency. National Security Action’s polling found 54% of voters, including 57% of independents, disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine. 53% of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the U.S. relationship with Russia and Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace – he’s buying time and playing Donald Trump. Preventing Putin from succeeding in Ukraine is the best way to prevent further wars around the globe.
If we walk away from Ukraine, the results would be catastrophic. The only path to a lasting peace is strengthening Ukraine’s leverage to force Putin to the negotiating table.
Supporting Ukraine is good for our own economy and military. The weapons we’ve provided to Ukraine have been built right here in America, investing millions of dollars in local economies across the country.
Proposed Invasions of Our Neighbors and Allies
In his May budget hearing, Pete Hegseth implied the Department of Defense has developed operational plans to invade Greenland and Panama. A majority of Americans are opposed to forcefully taking over an allied nation. According to National Security Action’s polling, 63% of American oppose Trump’s push to takeover Greenland, and 68% oppose making Canada the 51st state. Following reports of increased U.S. spying on Greenland, National Security Action’s polling also found 65% of Americans are opposed to increasing U.S. intelligence collection on the island to support efforts to take control of it.
Rather than working to lower costs or resolve deadly conflicts around the world, Donald Trump has spent valuable time and energy pursuing bizarre territorial expansion that the American people overwhelmingly oppose.
Who asked for this? Only 1% of Americans believe territorial expansion should be a priority for the president.
Politicization of the Military
Donald Trump held a campaign-like rally at Fort Bragg, while campaign merchandise was being sold illegally on federal property. This is the latest in a long series of efforts by Donald Trump to use the military as a political prop.
Donald Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg was a shameful political display using our service members as props unlike anything we’ve seen before.
This overt use of the U.S. military as a backdrop for political ends takes a page out of Kim Jong Un or Putin’s playbook. It only further erodes the public’s trust in an historically apolitical institution and harms our military readiness.
Alliances & Force Posture
The Trump Administration is reportedly considering significant changes in U.S. force posture abroad, including in Europe and South Korea. This is in addition to a refusal by the administration to openly commit to upholding NATO Article V and regularly denigrating our closest allies. According to National Security Action’s polling, 91% of voters say that building and maintaining strong alliances should be a very important goal for the United States, but Trump has a 14-point net negative rating on his handling of relations with NATO and European allies.
Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and leaders across the administration are abandoning, and even threatening, U.S. allies and partners – many of whom came to the United States’ defense following the 9/11 attacks.
We should regularly consider whether our force posture is meeting our defense needs, but this administration lacks strategic vision and is reckless when it comes to our long term security.
Shirking alliances with likeminded countries leaves the United States more vulnerable, isolated, and less prepared to address global crises and conflicts.
Military Recruitment & the “Trump Bump”
Military enlistments have been rising for the past two years, and signs of additional momentum were visible well before Trump’s election.
The military recruiting rebound is real – and worth celebrating. But it didn’t simply begin the day Donald Trump took office. Calling this turnaround “the Trump Bump” not only injects politics into the military, but also undermines the extraordinary, years-long, bipartisan effort that actually made it possible.
Faced with the worst recruiting environment in decades, the Biden Administration took extraordinary steps to revamp military recruiting, paving the way for the improvements we see now.
Active duty Army recruitment increased by 11.8 percent in 2023 and by another 9.9 percent in 2024. The Army not only met its 2024 recruiting goal, it also secured commitments from an additional 11,000 recruits who agreed to enter in 2025. We are now seeing the benefits of that boost.
The recruiting crisis — and the recovery — is not about Biden, Trump, Hegseth, or any other political figure. It’s the result of hard work and reforms made over the last four years.
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