A critical amendment authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to investigate whether the U.S. military weaponized ticks with Lyme disease has been included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26 NDAA) (S. 1071), which has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives, headed to the Senate, and is expected to be signed by President Trump upon its final passage.

                Smith’s amendment—now Sec. 1068 of the bill—directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO)—the Congressional “watchdog”—to investigate the Cold War-era Department of Defense (Department of War) bioweapons program and determine whether they ever used ticks as hosts or delivery mechanisms for biological warfare agents.

                “New Jersey has one of the highest Lyme rates in the United States—the disease is present in all 21 counties,” noted Smith, Co-Chair of the Congressional Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Caucus. “The pervasive presence of Lyme disease in New Jersey not only carries concerns for civilians, but also for the military personnel stationed in the state—especially and including those serving at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, part of which is located within my congressional district.”

                Specifically, Smith’s amendment in the NDAA compels the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an exhaustive review of research conducted by the military, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other federal agencies between the period of January 1, 1945 and December 31, 1972, regarding experiments involving Spirochaetales and Rickettsiales—two forms of tick-borne bacteria.

                “Now that this vital provision has advanced out of the House, we are one step closer to finally determining whether the U.S. government’s bioweapons program contributed to the proliferation of Lyme disease,” stated Smith. “If the GAO investigation concludes that our government’s bioweapons program was not involved, we turn the page.

                “The hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans suffering from Lyme disease—in addition to the millions across the United States—deserve to know the truth about the origins of their illness. An enhanced understanding of how Lyme came to be will only assist in finding a cure for this debilitating disease,” said Smith.

                In previous Congresses, Smith offered two similar amendments—one in 2019 and the other in 2021—both of which passed the House, but were blocked in the Senate.

                Smith’s amendments have been inspired in-part by the explosion of Lyme disease in New Jersey and Kris Newby’s book, Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons. The book includes in-depth interviews with and the personal files of Dr. Willy Burgdorfer—the federal researcher and U.S. bioweapons specialist credited with discovering Lyme disease—who later revealed that he and other bio-weapons specialists injected ticks with pathogens in order to cause severe disability, disease, and even death to potential enemies in unsuspecting ways.

                In addition to Smith’s section on Lyme disease, the FY26 NDAA includes significant reforms to our Nation’s military, making it better prepared to meet the threats of the future and ensuring fairness for those who answer the call to serve.

                “The FY26 NDAA authorizes $900.6 billion for national defense discretionary programs—proving that Congress is capable of properly funding our military’s operations and supporting our servicemembers, all while ensuring greater fiscal accountability for American taxpayers,” said Smith, the former Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

                “This bill supports President Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ agenda by investing in enhanced defense technologies and activities to more effectively protect America’s lands, seas, and skies.”

                Specifically, the FY26 NDAA:

• Improves servicemember quality of life by implementing a 3.8% pay raise and enhances military bonuses and special pay;
• Fully funds the establishment and enforcement of National Defense Areas along the southwest border;
• Codifies President Trump’s executive orders and legislative proposals to eliminate poisonous “woke” and DEI policies, which harm military recruitment and retention;
• Advances and supports President Trump’s Golden Dome program for missile and drone defense to protect the homeland;
• Authorizes more than $1 billion to combat drug trafficking, including $398 million for DOW support of counter-narcotics operations and $216 million for National Guard counter-drug initiatives;
• Allocates $145.7 billion to research, develop, test, and evaluate new technologies, such as drones and counter-drone systems, urgently needed by warfighters;
• Authorizes $26 billion in shipbuilding funding for submarines and surface vessels;
• Authorizes more than $35 billion to restore the United States’ arsenal of munitions—critical for installations, such as Naval Weapons Station Earle;
• Authorizes $38 billion to ensure air dominance, including funds for a next-generation fighter;
• Protects the security of Israel by fully funding joint U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs, such as the Iron Dome, Arrow, and David’s Sling;
• Counters the innumerable national security threats posed by Communist China by removing Chinese products from our defense supply chains, authorizing $2.7 billion for military construction projects in the Indo-Pacific, fully funding the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative at $1 billion, and supporting our allies in the Indo-Pacific to oppose China’s malign influence operations; and
• Reforms the defense acquisition system by fast-tracking novel war technologies to the warfighter.

###