339 Small Businesses Urges Passage of Right to Repair Bill for U.S. Military

SEMA-led coalition of automotive aftermarket companies back the NDAA’s Warrior Right to Repair Act to preserve readiness on the battlefield

WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 21, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and a coalition of 339 small businesses are urging Congress to secure passage of the Warrior Right to Repair Act, a component of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (Section 863 of the House bill, H.R. 3838, and Section 836 of the Senate bill, S. 2296). The bill would ensure the U.S. military can repair and maintain the equipment that it owns, a mission-critical protection of military readiness and our warfighters’ ability to quickly adapt to evolving battlefield conditions and needs.

• In their letter, the coalition’s automotive aftermarket businesses remind lawmakers that the industry of which they are a part is comprised of American businesses who deliver precision manufacturing, technical innovation, and high-performance engineering, and is thus uniquely positioned to help the Department of Defense meet its sustainment and readiness goals.

“Outdated restrictions are holding us – and the Department of Defense – back right now,” the letter says. “This is about ensuring the government can maintain and repair what it already owns. It’s about making sure the Department of Defense has access to every capable partner in the country to keep our military mission-ready.”

Read the full coalition letter

BACKGROUND

The Warrior Right to Repair Act (Section 863 of H.R. 3838 and Section 836 of S. 2296) will:

• Expand competition for sustainment contracts to include more U.S. businesses,
• Drive innovation in repair processes and specialty component production,
• Improve readiness by reducing sole-source delays and equipment downtime,
• Lower costs for taxpayers through competitive sourcing and open access to repairs, and
• Strengthening the defense industrial base by bringing in capable, agile suppliers.

The automotive aftermarket industry is overwhelmingly comprised of small businesses whose products are shining examples of America’s engineering superiority and unparalleled ability to innovate. Many businesses in the automotive aftermarket industry, including specialty equipment manufacturers, aftermarket innovators, and precision part suppliers, have the capability, capacity, and technical expertise to:

• rapidly reverse-engineer and produce specialty components and hard-to-source parts;
• deliver cost-effective and customized solutions on accelerated timelines;
• provide flexible, decentralized repair capacity to reduce downtime and increase resilience; and
• expand the defense sustainment ecosystem through supplier diversity and small business participation.

ABOUT SEMA

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) serves as a leading voice for the worldwide car culture, representing over 7,000 member companies that create, buy, sell, and use specialty-automotive parts that make vehicles more unique, attractive, convenient, safer, fun, and even like new again. Business member benefits include product development resources, market research, networking, education, legislative advocacy and more. The Association organizes the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nev., and actively supports the career and business opportunities that the aftermarket generates. The industry contributes nearly $337 billion in economic impact to the U.S. economy, supports 1.3 million jobs nationally, and generates $52.3 billion in parts sales annually. For more information, visit www.sema.org.

Source: Specialty Equipment Market Association

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