September 12, 2025
By Staff
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-21, Schuylerville, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, hailed passage of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.
The $893 billion defense bill was approved by a 231-196 vote in the House. The Senate passed a similar $925 billion defense bill, and negotiators between the two bodies will begin to work on the final package.
“I helped lead the final passage of this year’s America First defense bill that strengthens our military in the face of the rapidly evolving threats posed by our adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea,” said Stefanik. “This bill will lead the charge in reforming our broken acquisition system, revitalizing our defense industrial base, and further increasing the readiness, capabilities, and lethality of our fighting force.”
In addition to the House’s $893 billion defense bill, the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which was passed in July, included $150 billion in mandatory defense funding, which would bring total defense funding to more than $1 trillion, an increase of nearly 14% from fiscal year 2025. The House defense bill also codifies all or part of 15 executive orders from President Donald Trump as well as 30 legislative provisions, “including the entirety of the Trump administration’s efforts to end left-wing ideology, wokeism, and DEI in the military,” Stefanik said.
It also includes a request for a 3.8% pay raise for all service members as well as funds to improve housing, education, and access to childcare for military families.
Stefanik said the House defense bill secures numerous provisions to support Fort Drum, the 10th Mountain Division, military families, our national defense, and our partners and allies, including support for the development of next generation weapon systems; support to promote new missile defense systems; funding for multi-domain joint operations; and requires plans to diversify counter-unmanned aircraft systems and better protect troops and the nation from drone attacks.
The House bill also authorizes $5 million in funding for Army Research Lab’s Future Flag Program conducted in the town of Lewis; $10 million in funding for Rome Lab’s annual Future Flag testing and evaluation exercise, conducted in Lewis; and $2.5 million in funding for photonic quantum computing.
Complete totals for Fort Drum and for Rome Lab were not immediately available.
Federal funding for Rome Lab in the current fiscal year of 2025 was an estimated $375 million, down from a record $415 million in fiscal year 2024. The $12.5 million earmarked in the 2026 defense bill for specific projects at Rome Lab also appears down from 2025 figures, which allocated a total of $91 million for specific projects ranging from the Future Flag exercises to advanced quantum photonics to neutral-atom quantum networking and computing.
The bill also includes nearly $500 million in specific funding in support of Israel, including requiring a report on the “current status, condition, and adequacy of the War Reserves Stockpile” for the Middle East nation.
The House plan also authorizes the Golden Dome for America by requiring annual reports and consolidated budget exhibits for activities related to the next generation missile defense architecture and would authorize “robust funding” for the Missile Defense Agency.
Read the Op-Ed HERE.
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