Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026

Appropriates $36,935,236,000 through fiscal year 2030 for Navy shipbuilding and conversion, including funding for Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and auxiliary vessels, while barring the construction of naval vessels or major components in foreign shipyards.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, with White House budget approval, to transfer up to $6,000,000,000 between defense accounts for higher-priority, unforeseen military needs with prompt notice to Congress.

Prohibits defense contracts and subcontracts over $1,000,000 unless the contractor agrees not to force employees into mandatory arbitration for workplace sexual assault, harassment, or civil rights claims.

Appropriates $500,000,000 through fiscal year 2027 for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative to supply defense articles, services, and military training to Taiwan.

Appropriates an additional $1,500,000,000 to be transferred among the military services to improve overall military readiness, subject to a 30-day congressional spending plan.

Prohibits requiring military service members or civilian defense employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Prohibits using defense appropriations for surgical procedures or hormone therapies for gender-affirming care.

Reduces total funding in the bill by $3,750,000,000 to reflect anticipated spending cuts and efficiencies identified by the Department of Government Efficiency, exempting intelligence programs.

Prohibits using funds for unauthorized publicity or propaganda.

Allows the Department of Defense to employ and pay non-U.S. citizens, but caps pay raises for foreign national employees to standard civil service or host-nation rates.

Limits the availability of appropriations in this Act to the current fiscal year unless expressly stated otherwise.

Restricts spending during the final two months of the fiscal year to no more than 20 percent of funds that expire at year's end, exempting certain reserve and ROTC summer training.

Legally binds the Department of Defense to fund programs at the exact dollar amounts and adjustments specified in the congressional explanatory tables and classified annex.

Freezes reprogramming and transfer authorities until the Department of Defense submits a baseline budget report to congressional defense committees within 60 days of enactment, unless certified as an emergency.

Limits defense working capital funds to holding only enough cash needed to make disbursements, and requires congressional notice before transferring funds or buying extra war reserve materials.

Requires 30 days advance notice to congressional defense committees before creating any new special access program.

Sets budget, payment, and cost conditions on initiating or canceling multiyear procurement contracts, including a 30-day notice requirement for contracts that exceed $20,000,000 in economic order quantity procurement or $500,000,000 in total value.

Authorizes operation and maintenance funds for humanitarian and civic assistance, Pacific island civic action teams, and nonreimbursable medical care in Army facilities in Hawaii for civilian patients from U.S. Pacific territories and freely associated states.

Prohibits using funds to influence members of Congress on pending legislation or appropriations.

Prohibits using funds to reduce deployed or non-deployed strategic nuclear delivery vehicles and launchers below established statutory reporting levels.

Authorizes transferring defense funds to support developmental assistance agreements under the Department of Defense Mentor-Protégé Program.

Requires shipboard anchor and mooring chains purchased by the Department of Defense to be manufactured substantially in the United States, unless waived for supply shortages.

Requires military bases in the United States to purchase beer and wine for resale exclusively from suppliers in the state where the base is located.

Prohibits the demilitarization or disposal of specified surplus military rifles and pistols, as well as commercial-grade small arms ammunition, unless certified as unserviceable or unsafe.

Caps spending at $500,000 per fiscal year for relocating any defense organization or unit into or within the Washington, D.C. capital region without a waiver.

Reserves $35,169,000 for incentive payments to defense contractors and subcontractors that award subcontracts over $500,000 to Native American-owned or Native Hawaiian-owned businesses.

Authorizes the Air Force to transfer excess relocatable military housing units from five northern Air Force bases to recognized Indian tribes across eight western and midwestern states at no cost.

Allocates at least $19,861,000 to mitigate environmental damage and provide technical assistance to Indian tribes for lands affected by Department of Defense activities.

Prohibits the Defense Media Activity from using funds for political or psychological activities.

Allocates at least $79,000,000 to the Civil Air Patrol Corporation for operations, drug demand reduction youth programs, aircraft, and vehicles, and encourages waiving fees for domestic counter-drug missions.

Prohibits establishing new federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), restricts board member and consultant compensation, bars spending on off-base construction, and caps defense FFRDC technical staff costs at $2,886,300,000.

Permits the Department of Defense to compete equipment maintenance, depot repair, and parts production between military depots and private businesses.

Requires Department of Defense compliance with the Buy American Act and directs the Secretary of Defense to consider debarring contractors convicted of falsely labeling products with "Made in America."

Restricts the procurement of carbon, alloy, and armor steel plate for defense facilities to steel melted and rolled in the United States or Canada, subject to a national security waiver.

Requires the Secretary of Defense to rescind Buy American Act waivers for foreign countries that discriminate against covered U.S. products, and requires an annual report on defense purchases from foreign suppliers.

Requires the Department of Defense to buy ball and roller bearings exclusively from domestic producers, with an exception for general commercial off-the-shelf components.

Prohibits purchasing supercomputers manufactured outside the United States unless certified as essential for national security and unavailable domestically.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to waive foreign procurement restrictions under reciprocal defense trade agreements, while retaining domestic source protections for naval vessels, bearings, food, textiles, and specialty metals.

Prohibits the Department of Defense from purchasing or manufacturing United States flags that do not meet statutory domestic sourcing rules.

Makes balances in the Department of Defense Overseas Military Facility Investment Recovery Account available until spent for authorized overseas facility payments.

Allows operation and maintenance funds to be used to buy investment items costing up to $350,000, or up to $500,000 for overseas combatant commands in designated operations.

Permits up to $8,132,000 in Navy operation and maintenance funds to support Indo-Pacific Command theater security cooperation, exercises, and humanitarian missions with foreign security partners.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations barring military retail stores in the United States and abroad from selling tobacco products below competitive local commercial market prices.

Bars defense working capital funds from purchasing new inventory investment items that should properly be requested under procurement budget appropriations.

Limits Central Intelligence Agency fund availability to one year, while extending funding through fiscal year 2027 for contingency reserves, research, agent operations, and covert action, and through fiscal year 2028 for facility construction.

Prohibits establishing new field operating agencies or paying headquarters personnel whose duties remain at headquarters despite being reassigned on paper, with exceptions for biometrics, explosive disposal, and mortuary affairs.

Bars converting defense civilian jobs to private contractors unless a public-private cost competition shows savings of at least $10,000,000 or 10 percent of labor costs, and forbids giving advantage to contractors offering inferior health benefits.

Prohibits cutting dual-status military technician positions in the National Guard and Reserve under general civilian personnel caps or freezes unless overall military force structure is reduced.

Prohibits financial assistance to North Korea, except for activities directly tied to recovering and identifying remains of U.S. service members.

Permanently authorizes military departments and combatant commands to reimburse pay and expenses when National Guard and Reserve personnel provide intelligence or counterintelligence support.

Bars transferring Department of Defense or Central Intelligence Agency drug interdiction funds to other federal agencies unless specifically authorized in appropriations law.

Appropriates $49,000,000 for defense grants, allocating $24,000,000 to the United Service Organizations (USO) and $25,000,000 to the American Red Cross.

Requires defense agencies to extract Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program set-asides proportionally from all eligible research accounts and report annual accounting to Congress.

Prohibits the Department of Defense from paying contractor employee bonuses that are claimed as restructuring expenses from corporate mergers or acquisitions.

Caps transfers from defense-wide operation and maintenance to military pay accounts at $30,000,000 for personnel providing civil-military community support services.

Authorizes the National Guard to allow outside entities to use its Distance Learning Project equipment for a fee and permits using collected fees to maintain the system indefinitely.

Prohibits retiring, preparing to retire, or placing into storage any C-40 military transport aircraft unless determined to be non-repairable following a serious mishap.

Prohibits using research and development funds to buy finished end-items for operational military training or inventory, restricting purchases to test articles and prototypes.

Prohibits using defense appropriations to perform maintenance or repairs on military family housing units, including areas within housing used for official business.

Requires 15 days advance notice to congressional defense committees before spending funds on new defense innovation acceleration or rapid prototyping projects exceeding $5,000,000.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to continue submitting classified quarterly reports to congressional appropriations subcommittees.

Authorizes full-time National Guard personnel to perform operational duties in support of ground-based missile interceptors of the National Ballistic Missile Defense System.

Restricts transferring surplus military armor-piercing ammunition to non-governmental entities unless they demilitarize it or use it for licensed military export manufacturing.

Authorizes the National Guard Bureau to waive lease fees when leasing personal property for up to one year to recognized youth, social, or fraternal nonprofit groups.

Makes $194,452,598 in Army operation and maintenance funds available until spent for real property acquisition, construction, operations, and interagency transfers.

Prohibits changing the budget account structure or unclassified presentation formats of the National Intelligence Program without interagency study and congressional notice.

Authorizes the Army, Navy, and Air Force to transfer up to $11,000,000 each from operation and maintenance funds to their respective Fisher House trust funds.

Appropriates $5,000,000 for a grant to the Fisher House Foundation to build and furnish temporary lodging for families of hospitalized military patients.

Authorizes transferring up to $1,000,000 from Navy operation and maintenance funds to the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Development Trust Fund.

Prohibits altering Navy command structures to shift operational or administrative control of Pacific Fleet forces to Fleet Forces Command without 30 days prior notice to congressional appropriations committees.

Requires rapid defense acquisition notifications under federal defense law to be submitted directly to the defense subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

Earmarks $500,000,000 for Israeli cooperative missile defense programs, including $60,000,000 for Iron Dome, $167,000,000 for David's Sling/Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense co-production, and $273,000,000 for Arrow systems.

Makes $699,210,000 in Navy shipbuilding funds available through fiscal year 2026 to cover cost increases on ships funded in prior years.

Deems intelligence and intelligence-related activities funded in this Act authorized by Congress pending enactment of the fiscal year 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act.

Prohibits shifting appropriated funds to start any new program or project unless immediately required for national security and preceded by written notice to defense committees.

Prohibits using funds to research, develop, test, buy, or deploy nuclear-armed missile interceptors.

Prohibits using funds to decommission any Littoral Combat Ship.

Applies a single 1 percent cap across all Navy shipbuilding accounts when adjusting prior-year funding balances.

Prohibits shrinking or shutting down the Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Hurricane Hunters) below funded operational levels.

Prohibits integrating foreign intelligence that was unlawfully gathered and requires intelligence handling of U.S. persons to follow Fourth Amendment constitutional protections.

Limits Office of the Director of National Intelligence funds to a one-year availability, while allowing research and technology funds to remain available through fiscal year 2027.

Freezes National Intelligence Program reprogrammings and transfers until the Director of National Intelligence submits a detailed budget baseline report to intelligence committees within 60 days.

Subjects transfers from the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account to standard defense transfer limitations and rules.

Requires 30 days advance notice to congressional intelligence committees before reprogramming National Intelligence Program funds to start new programs, terminate programs over $10 million, or transfer money between appropriations.

Requires defense agencies to post congressionally mandated public reports online after a 45-day congressional review period, exempting classified or proprietary information.

Authorizes transferring up to $165,000,000 from the Defense Health Program to support operations at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.

Prohibits spending defense funds in violation of federal statutory restrictions on military personnel and detainee operations under section 130h of title 10.

Caps government purchases of armored force-protection vehicles at $450,000 per vehicle and passenger vehicles in the U.S. Central Command area at $75,000 per vehicle.

Authorizes the Director of National Intelligence to transfer up to $1,500,000,000 within the National Intelligence Program for unforeseen intelligence requirements, subject to White House budget approval.

Allocates $206,019,000 through fiscal year 2030 to purchase two used commercial sealift ships for the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to post all defense grant awards on a searchable public website.

Prohibits the National Security Agency from using section 702 foreign intelligence authorities to target U.S. citizens or acquiring U.S. citizens' electronic communications without statutory warrants.

Withholds salaries of federal officials who transfer defense programs or funding to non-defense agencies without explicit congressional approval.

Makes $785,052,000 in Navy operation and maintenance funds available indefinitely to reimburse the Ready Reserve Force and National Defense Reserve Fleet.

Requires key mechanical parts for TAO fleet oilers and guided-missile frigates—including pumps, engines, steering controls, and cranes—to be manufactured in the United States.

Requires design and development contracts for future cable-laying and oceanographic surveillance ships to specify domestic manufacturing for auxiliary equipment and propulsion shafts.

Bars shifting money from the defense acquisition workforce account into rapid prototyping funds.

Prohibits military and civilian personnel from charging gambling expenses or adult entertainment to government travel charge cards.

Requires Department of Defense computer networks to block access to pornography websites, exempting official law enforcement, defense, and intelligence activities.

Prohibits transferring military vehicles, aircraft, munitions, or operational units to outside entities if the Secretary of Defense determines the transfer would harm military readiness.

Bars federal contracts, grants, or loans to corporations with delinquent unpaid federal taxes, unless the agency considers debarment and determines a waiver is necessary.

Restricts agile software development pilot funding to six specific defense programs and bans creating any new software pilot programs in fiscal year 2026.

Prohibits transferring the National Reconnaissance Office into the U.S. Space Force.

Prohibits using funds in contravention of federal anti-torture statutes and the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

Prohibits providing weapons, training, intelligence, or other defense assistance to Ukraine's Azov Battalion, Third Separate Assault Brigade, or successor groups.

Authorizes the Department of Defense to incur up to $350,000,000 in obligations in anticipation of burden-sharing contributions from the Government of Kuwait.

Appropriates $1,274,174,000 through fiscal year 2027 for international security cooperation programs to train and equip foreign security forces, with 15 days advance notice to Congress.

Allocates $267,298,000 to reimburse foreign partner countries for border security operations, reserving at least $150,000,000 for Jordan and excluding Pakistan.

Prohibits using funds in violation of the War Powers Resolution.

Prohibits defense funding from supporting military training or operations that recruit or deploy child soldiers.

Prohibits providing defense funds to any member of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or the Taliban.

Prohibits defense funds from being provided to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Requires funding transfers that assist friendly foreign nations participating in non-U.S. military operations to comply with standard statutory transfer caps and reprogramming rules.

Prohibits defense contracts, grants, or loans with Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport unless the Secretary of Defense certifies that Russian forces have withdrawn from Ukraine and ceased lethal aid to Syria.

Requires 30 days notice to Congress after receiving foreign contributions for U.S. military troop stationing, and 15 days notice before spending those funds.

Requires the military to submit quarterly reports on unplanned exercises and operational activities costing more than $5,000,000.

Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit an itemized report on weapons and services provided to foreign countries under presidential drawdown authority, including replacement cost estimates.

Requires the Department of Defense to notify Congress in writing within 15 days of opening or closing any foreign military base hosting U.S. armed forces.

Prohibits spending funds to establish permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq or to exercise U.S. control over oil resources in Iraq or Syria.

Authorizes up to $500,000,000 in defense-wide operation and maintenance funds to support the Jordanian Armed Forces.

Bars U.S. Northern Command from spending funds on operations in Mexico after 180 days, reassigning unobligated funds to Southern Command unless the President determines Mexico should stay under Northern Command.

Reduces operation and maintenance funding by $750,000,000 ($100,000,000 from the Army, $450,000,000 from the Navy, and $200,000,000 from the Air Force) to account for excess working capital cash reserves.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to allocate fiscal year 2026 CHIPS Act defense funds within 45 days and restricts allocations during temporary continuing budget resolutions.

Eliminates storage duration limits on embryo cryopreservation for severely ill or injured active duty service members receiving military assisted reproductive healthcare.

Authorizes obligating funds to modify at least nine F-35 fighter jets (three of each variant) into test configurations, with 30 days prior notice to Congress.

Prohibits using funds to integrate an alternative engine onto any F-35 aircraft.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to spend up to $650,000,000 to rapidly acquire and field urgently needed defense supplies, equipment, and technologies.

Appropriates $97,770,000 to the defense credit program to back up to $4,390,000,000 in commercial loans and loan guarantees aimed at bolstering the defense industrial base.

Authorizes flexible funding across research, procurement, and operations for Defense Innovation Unit projects to accelerate fielding new defense items.

Expands allowable uses of defense technology acceleration funds to cover software procurement, development, testing, and operations.

Prohibits funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology or any laboratory owned or controlled by China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela's Maduro regime, or other declared foreign adversaries.

Prohibits using any defense funds to finance research or work performed by EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.

Prohibits transferring or releasing non-citizen detainees held at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to or within the United States or its territories.

Prohibits transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to foreign countries except under strict statutory security and monitoring certifications.

Prohibits building or modifying facilities in the United States or its territories to house Guantanamo Bay detainees in military custody.

Prohibits using funds to close or realign Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Prohibits using funds to enforce COVID-19 mask mandates.

Prohibits requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students attending Department of Defense Education Activity schools.

Prohibits using the military's Exceptional Family Member Program to provide, refer, or approve duty-station transfers for gender transition surgeries or medication for minor dependent children.

Prohibits the federal government from stripping tax exemptions, denying contracts, revoking licenses, or withholding federal benefits from persons or groups holding religious or moral beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman.

Prohibits defense funds from being used to label speech by U.S. citizens as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation, or partnering with organizations that pressure social media platforms to censor protected speech.

Bars funding programs or training that promote Critical Race Theory or teach that individuals bear collective guilt, moral inferiority, or systemic oppression based on their race or sex.

Prohibits the Department of Defense from implementing or funding policies that provide travel allowances or paid leave for service members seeking non-covered reproductive healthcare or abortions.

Prohibits recruiting, hiring, or promoting individuals convicted of sexual assault or child pornography offenses, or disciplined for accessing child pornography on federal computer systems.

Prohibits military bases and recruiting programs from hosting or funding drag shows, drag queen story hours, or using drag performers in military recruitment.

Prohibits funding the statutory Department of Defense Chief Diversity Officer and related diversity and inclusion advisory panels.

Prohibits implementing the Department of Defense Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Strategic Plan and related presidential equity executive orders.

Prohibits funding any defense office of diversity, equity, or inclusion.

Prohibits providing defense funds to NewsGuard Technologies Inc.

Requires all defense-funded research and medical training to comply with established Department of Defense rules on the humane treatment of laboratory animals.

Prohibits the Air Force from divesting or preparing to retire more than eight U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

Prohibits retiring F-15 fighter jets unless the Secretary of Defense certifies that replacements will maintain unit aircraft levels and operational readiness.

Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer up to $40,000,000 within Navy accounts to offset shipbuilding cost increases caused by inflation or market price shifts.

Reduces total funding in the bill by $3,000,000,000 to account for savings under proposed federal budget reconciliation legislation, exempting intelligence programs from cuts.

Reduces service operation and maintenance accounts by $1,000,000,000 to capture savings from lower bulk fuel prices, exempting intelligence accounts.

Reduces defense appropriations by an additional $1,000,000,000 to capture internal management streamlining and administrative efficiencies, exempting intelligence programs.

Requires detailed budget justifications and quarterly financial reports if defense spending levels are modified under federal budget reconciliation laws.

Caps total staffing in the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) at 75 full-time personnel, exempting cost estimating and industrial base analysts from reductions.

Directs the Navy to prioritize research and development spending to speed up the delivery and operational capability of its Next Generation Fighter aircraft.

Extends the availability of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research and development funds through September 30, 2027, with quarterly execution reports.

Appropriates an additional $90,000,000 through fiscal year 2028 for the National Defense Stockpile, earmarking $10,000,000 specifically for titanium reserves.

Allocates at least $80,000,000 to establish an Indo-Pacific Platform Supply Vessel pilot program to charter at least two commercial U.S.-built fuel and cargo transport vessels.

Prohibits moving the headquarters of U.S. Southern Command out of Miami, Florida, including in the event of a combatant command merger.

Prohibits pausing, canceling, terminating, or shifting funding away from the Army's UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter program.

Prohibits pausing, canceling, terminating, or shifting funding away from the Air Force's E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft program.

Prohibits using funds in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military participation in civilian law enforcement.

Prohibits restricting civilian personnel access to sexual assault forensic examinations that were available on military installations as of January 2025.

Prohibits sending classified information or military war and operational plans over unsecured computer networks.

Directs the Secretary of Defense to publish an online itemized expense report within 180 days covering all contracts and costs for the Army's 250th birthday military parade.

Allocates $12,000,000 within defense security cooperation funds for the Irregular Warfare Center.

Prohibits decommissioning any prepositioned stock vessel in the Army Prepositioned Stocks-Afloat fleet.

Prohibits using funds to close the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, the Fort Sill Historic Landmark and Museum, or the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.

Prohibits creating, buying, or displaying any map that portrays Taiwan or its offshore islands as part of the territory of the People's Republic of China.