House rules panel advances rule for FY2026 Defense spending bill after hourlong debate over process, troop policies

The House Rules Committee on Thursday approved a structured rule to bring HR 4016, the fiscal year 2026 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, to the House floor after extended testimony and back-and-forth questioning about the bill’s funding allocations and drafting process.

The measure provides a total discretionary allocation of $831,500,000,000 for Defense Department accounts, the rule text and witnesses testified, and includes a 3.8% basic pay increase for all military personnel effective Jan. 1, 2026. Representative Ken Calvert, chair of a Defense appropriations subcommittee, told the panel the bill “provides nearly $1 trillion to modernize and sustain our armed forces” (Representative Ken Calvert, Subcommittee Chair, Committee on Appropriations).

Why this matters: lawmakers on both sides said they support troop pay and readiness investments but criticized the process used to draft the bill and the inclusion of partisan policy riders. Democrats warned the bill contains riders that would limit service members’ reproductive-health options and could reduce access to care for military families who also rely on Medicaid-based services in civilian communities.

Most members who questioned witnesses…