At a Senate Appropriations Committee markup, members voted to report favorably an original bill making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2026.

The committee approved the bill with broad bipartisan backing, reporting a topline allocation of $852,500,000,000 and emphasizing investments in shipbuilding, munitions production, missile defense, and personnel support.

The bill seeks to increase production of critical munitions and rebuild industrial capacity, add procurement funding for Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines and destroyers, and expand air-and-missile defense capacity. Chairman McConnell said the bill “recognizes the administration's intention to restore peace through strength” and highlighted the need for steady, predictable defense investment. Vice Chair Murray said the legislation “makes crucial investments in our military” and praised its provisions for service member pay, childcare and suicide-prevention programs.

Committee remarks and the bill text list several allocations and priorities: $2.1 billion to expand munitions production capacity; $4.6 billion added to address air-and-missile defense needs; investments in shipyard infrastructure, destroyer construction, and workforce development; and funds for allied security assistance including restored and additional aid for Ukraine and the Baltic states.

Debate during the markup touched on several amendments and oversight concerns. Senators raised questions about process and reprogramming: Senator Shaheen pressed for information about the reported transfer of funds from the Sentinel nuclear modernization program to retrofit a foreign-donated Boeing aircraft for presidential use, and offered an amendment to bar funds from being used to modify a Qatar-transferred Boeing 747-8; Shaheen later withdrew that amendment. Senator Murphy and others debated related amendments that would have restricted disposition or transfer of any retrofitted aircraft; those amendments were defeated on roll call.

Separately, members considered an amendment by Senator Merkley asking the Defense Department to report on research and actions related to a chemical, 6PPD, tied to juvenile coho salmon deaths; the amendment was adopted by voice vote. An amendment by Senator Durbin to bar nonreimbursable Department of Defense support to Department of Homeland Security immigration enforcement was defeated on a roll call (14 ayes, 15 nays).

The committee adopted a negotiated manager’s package by unanimous consent and reported the bill favorably. On the final reporting vote the clerk recorded “On the Defense Bill, there are now 26 ayes and 3 nays.”

The committee chair and subcommittee leaders said they will continue work to move appropriations through the full Senate and to finish remaining bills in September.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to report the Defense appropriations bill favorably: agreed to; final tally announced as 26 ayes, 3 nays. (Moved by the committee vice chair; roll call conducted.)
- Manager’s package (bipartisan collection of amendments): adopted by unanimous consent.
- Merkley amendment (report on DoD work regarding 6PPD and environmental impacts): adopted (voice vote).
- Shaheen amendment to prohibit funds to retrofit Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8: offered then withdrawn (no roll call).
- Durbin amendment prohibiting nonreimbursable DoD support for DHS immigration enforcement: defeated by roll call (14 ayes, 15 nays).
- Murphy and other related amendments on aircraft disposition: defeated (roll calls; final tallies recorded as 14 ayes, 15 nays where noted).

Where this matters
The bill funds the Defense Department’s operations, procurement and readiness accounts for FY2026 and carries near-term implications for shipbuilding, munitions production and U.S. security assistance programs cited in committee debate. Members repeatedly framed the measure as a bipartisan answer to rising global threats and a mechanism to restore munitions stockpiles and shipbuilding capacity.

What’s next
The committee leaders said the Appropriations Committee will continue markups in September and pursue floor action in packages. The bill, as reported, will be placed in the committee’s legislative product for consideration and amendment on the Senate floor.