"WASHINGTON - Congressional defense hawks in the Senate are once again pushing to boost the topline of the defense budget in fiscal 2026, but as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill in September, they will have to face an even more pressing question: Will they be able to pass a full-year spending bill at all? Congress failed at passing FY25 appropriations after talks between Republicans and Democrats broke down, resulting in the approval of a full year continuing resolution in March. The bill marked the first time the Defense Department will have been funded under a CR for an entire year."
"For much of the year, lawmakers have been wrapped up in passing reconciliation legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, a Trump-backed megabill that contained an extra $150 billion in defense funding as well as other priority items. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has dragged its feet in presenting its own budget request for FY26, putting out some budget documents in late June while other more detailed justification documents are still yet to be released or presented to Congress. (House appropriators drafted their version of the FY26 defense bill without having seen the Pentagon's budget proposal.)"
Senate defense hawks are pushing to increase the FY2026 defense topline while lawmakers confront the possibility of failing to pass a full-year spending bill. Congress failed to pass FY25 appropriations, producing a full-year continuing resolution that funded the Defense Department under a CR for the first time. Budget turmoil persisted despite unified Republican control, increasing the likelihood of another extension. Lawmakers concentrated on a Trump-backed reconciliation megabill that included $150 billion in extra defense funding. The Pentagon delayed portions of its FY26 budget request, prompting appropriators to draft bills without full Pentagon justifications. Lawmakers must pass a short-term CR to buy time for negotiations.
Read at Breaking Defense
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