House Passes Defense Funding Bill
In Washington, the House of Representatives approved a bill early Friday to allocate approximately $83.2 billion for defense in the fiscal year 2026.
This measure, known as the Pentagon’s Approximate Budget Act, passed with a vote of 221-209, with five Democrats joining nearly all Republicans in support.
The Democrats who supported the bill included Don Davis (NC), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Adam Gray (California), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington).
Opposition came from some Republican representatives, including Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), Tim Burchett (Tennessee), and Thomas Massey (Kentucky). Interestingly, prior to the bill’s passage, Greene and Massey teamed up with members of the “Squad,” like Rashida Tlaib (Michigan) and Summer Lee (Pennsylvania), to propose cutting funding for programs aimed at enhancing Israel’s missile defense system, but this effort failed with a significant 422-6 vote against.
The House bill contains provisions to increase funding for active, National Guard, and reserve military personnel, which includes a wage increase of 3.8% for service members.
Additionally, there is a $7 billion cut from the current operational and maintenance budget, bringing spending in that area down to $283 billion.
Of the total budget, at least $148 billion will be directed towards research, development, and testing within the Department of Defense. Another $1.15 billion is earmarked for initiatives targeting international trafficking and counter-drug operations.
Rep. Mike Rogers (Alabama), who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, stated that this legislation “funds modernization, reduces deficits, eliminates bureaucratic hurdles, and promotes innovation,” emphasizing significant reforms in defense acquisition.
This latest action from the House follows a recent endorsement from Congressional Republicans of another defense funding plan worth over $150 billion, part of President Trump’s broader legislative agenda.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has also progressed its own version of a defense spending bill, which aims to include additional measures to prevent taxpayer dollars from inadvertently funding investigations that could benefit foreign adversaries like Russia and China.
Overall, the President’s budget aims to help balance the annual budget process while increasing funding through the settlement bill, looking to surpass $1 trillion in total defense spending for fiscal 2026.
