House passes $832B defense appropriations bill
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/07/house-passes-832b-defense-appropriations-bill/
WASHINGTON — The House passed its $832 billion defense appropriations bill for fiscal 2026 in a 221-209 vote Thursday night.
The bill keeps defense spending flat with FY25, conforming to the Pentagon’s request. But because it was drafted before the Defense Department’s own budget release, it contains key differences such as more F-35s; funding to continue the E-7 Wedgetail program, which the department wants to cancel; and additional money for the Navy’s F/A-XX fighter, which the White House said could endanger the Air Force’s F-47 program.
Five Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill, while three GOP members opposed it.
“The passage of the FY26 Defense Appropriations Act advances our national security goals by investing in the platforms and programs that enhance America’s military dominance,” Rep. Ken Calvert, chairman of the House appropriations defense subcommittee, said in a statement. “The bill makes innovation a priority by expanding programs I have championed that rapidly deploy cutting-edge, difference making systems into the hands of our warfighters.”
