Heritage Action supports Representative Addison McDowell’s amendment to establish an education choice pilot program for military families. The vote on this amendment to H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, will be included as a key vote on our legislative scorecard.
The Department of War (DoW) operates 160 schools for Pre-K through 12th grade, serving over 65,000 dependents of active-duty military and civilian employees globally, as well as a fully virtual high school. These schools offer instruction to the loved ones of our servicemembers and those who support them amid the challenging circumstances of remote locations and the transience of military life.
To best serve the families of our nation’s military servicemembers, the Department of War issued a request for information in June 2026 to study the potential to build out a program to expand education choices for military families. However, the Department of War cannot move forward without first getting Congressional authorization.
Representative McDowell’s amendment would authorize DoW to carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary provides financial assistance to full-time, active-duty members of the Armed Forces to support education freedom for military families, whether it’s attending a private school, charter school, or providing aid for a homeschooled student. This four-year pilot program would assess the feasibility of further expansions of educational choice to the tens of thousands of military dependents living across the globe.
Expanding freedom in education has proven successful in improving student achievement. This highly adaptable, student-driven model should be pursued to give military families additional tools to pursue the best education for their kids.
We thank Representative McDowell for leading this amendment to expand educational freedom for military families and urge all members to support the amendment.
Heritage Action supports Representative Addison McDowell’s amendment to establish an education choice pilot program for military families. The vote on this amendment to H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, will be included as a key vote on our legislative scorecard.