The GOP-led chamber approved the bill 221-209, mostly
along party lines; five Democrats voted in favor of the bill, and three
Republicans opposed it.
The measure marks only the second appropriations bill Republicans
have been able to pass for 2026, after GOP appropriators said the effort to
pass Trump’s tax and spending cuts megabill dominated the party’s focus over
the past few months.
The
bill passed Friday would boost funding for active, reserve and National Guard
military personnel by US$6.6 billion above current levels, to a total of US$189
billion. It also allows for an increase of 3.8% in basic pay for
military personnel, to take effect in January.
It calls for US$174 billion for procurement, up US$6.5
billion from current levels, and would provide US$283 billion for operation and
maintenance, a roughly US$7 billion decrease below 2025 levels.
The
bill also includes about US$148 billion for research, development, test
and evaluation, as well as boosts for Defense Department health programs and
overseas humanitarian, disaster, and civic aid programs.
The bill comes after Republicans greenlit additional
defense dollars as part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” earlier this
month.
That
plan called for US$25 billion to fund Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile
defense system, with billions more aimed at items such as shipbuilding and the
maritime industrial base, munitions and nuclear deterrence.
Democrats have risen in sharp opposition to the
overall defense appropriations plan, which also seeks to codify Trump’s actions
targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, advance prohibitions for
funding for abortion-related travel, and block funds for gender-affirming
surgeries.
