Appropriations committee advances $831.5 billion defense bill despite missing administration budget books

House appropriators voted to report the fiscal 2026 Defense Appropriations bill after a daylong markup dominated by complaints that the White House had not supplied full budget justification materials. The committee recommendation for defense discretionary funding totals $831,500,000,000.

The Appropriations Committee's debate repeatedly returned to the absence of the Department of Defense's detailed budget books and program justifications normally provided to Congress. "We did not have this information," Representative Betty McCollum, ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee, said during opening remarks, adding that the omission made it "completely unacceptable" to write the bill without standard documentation.

The committee adopted a bipartisan manager's amendment to incorporate noncontroversial, cleared technical changes. After debate and multiple roll-call votes on individual amendments, the committee voted to report the defense bill to the full House. The motion to report carried on a recorded vote; the clerk recorded the final tally as 36 ayes to 27 noes.

Members from both parties said they wanted to avoid another full-year continuing resolution but warned that writing detailed appropriations without Departmental justification risked waste and weakened oversight. "This lack of information meant the committee was unable to examine up-to-date program execution data," the subcommittee chair said in his opening remarks.

Several members also raised concerns about the bill's policy provisions, including directives that would require the Department of Defense to find billions in additional cuts and riders on social policy that some members argued could affect recruitment, retention, and readiness. The committee report notes the recommended topline was developed with awareness of parallel work on reconciliation but emphasized mandatory spending proposals fall outside the committee's jurisdiction.

The committee record shows the manager's amendment was agreed to by voice vote and the final motion to report the defense bill succeeded on the recorded vote described above. With the committee's action, the bill moves to the House floor for further consideration.

Why it matters: The decision to advance a major defense funding bill without the Department's full program justifications turns the spotlight onto interbranch process and congressional oversight. Members from both parties signaled they would continue to press the Administration for the missing materials as the House and, eventually, conference negotiations proceed.

What's next: The bill as reported will be placed on the House floor schedule for consideration. Members and staff said they expect continued effort to obtain the Department's detailed justification documents and to reconcile the House bill with any broader budget actions in reconciliation or the Senate.