Congressional leaders have unveiled the full text of the final National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.
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“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement published Sunday.
The Hill reported that the FY 2026 NDAA reflects an $8 billion increase above President Trump’s $892.6 billion budget request for the Department of War.
While the NDAA outlines annual defense policy, it does not appropriate funds. According to the Hill, the House is expected to vote on the measure in the coming days.
What Are the Provisions of the FY 2026 NDAA?
The defense policy measure would give service members a 4 percent pay raise; expand counter-drone defenses and new technologies; advance Golden Dome and enhance U.S. nuclear deterrent; implement guardrails to protect the country’s long-term investments and economic interests; and enhance U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to bolster Taiwan’s defense and support Indo-Pacific allies.
The bill aims to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding and broaden the maritime industrial base; reform the defense acquisition process; speed up the development and delivery of space capabilities; and streamline operations by eliminating $20 billion in obsolete weapons, inefficient programs and Pentagon bureaucracy.
In October, the Senate voted 77-20 to pass a $914 billion FY 2026 defense policy bill, paving the way for the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to begin the conference process and work out a compromise between their respective versions of the measure. The House approved its version of the NDAA in September.
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