The National Defense Authorization Act bill text dropped on Sunday night, coming after a few days’ delay as key provisions were being hashed out between the chambers after passing their own separate versions earlier this year.
The NDAA is the largest sweeping defense bill for the Pentagon, with a final vote expected in the House as early as next week. The goal is to pass the bill before the end of the calendar year, slating it to be one of the last major pieces of legislation to be voted on before members of Congress leave for the holidays.
The topline for the defense bill is $900.6 billion, an $8 billion increase from President Donald Trump’s budget request. It’s a compromise between the House’s NDAA topline, which reflects the administration’s budget, and the Senate‘s topline, which was $32 billion above the Pentagon’s request. The House and Senate passed their own versions of the legislation in September and October, respectively.
House Republican leadership aides told reporters that the $8 billion is a “modest, fiscally responsible increase” that meets the defense needs for the United States.
The release of the bill text was slated for Thursday, but that timeline was delayed as lawmakers worked to resolve sticking points on various policy issues.
It is one of the only bills that must pass Congress each year. The legislation often gets last-minute additions and votes on hundreds of amendments on the floor, many of which do not make it into the final package as they often have little or nothing to do with national security.
What’s in the NDAA?
The NDAA is often a bipartisan bill, with many priorities supported by both chambers making it into the final bill text.
Included in the legislation is a repeal of the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) related to Iraq, which granted the president authority to use military force without issuing a formal declaration of war. The repeal will now make it harder for presidents to bypass Congress on military actions. This provision passed in both the House and the Senate, and, despite leadership being opposed to repealing AUMFs in the past, it remains in the final bill text.
Also in the NDAA is a provision from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) that caused headaches for House leaders last week. Stefanik’s amendment requires the FBI to notify Congress if candidates for federal office are under investigation. The congresswoman accused Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of torpedoing the language and getting “rolled” by Democrats, which the speaker said was a “misunderstanding of the facts.”
If passed, service members will receive a 3.8% pay raise in the NDAA. Assistance for Ukraine will also be reauthorized for another two years at $400 million.
There will also be a limit on outbound U.S. investments in China. Lawmakers came close to imposing restrictions last year, but that effort collapsed thanks to interference from Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and former Trump adviser. This is likely to cause some disagreement among members due to wariness over the impact to the technology sector, but supporters have argued it is a necessary step for national security.
The NDAA includes GOP priorities, such as the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and training and over $1 billion in cuts to climate-change programs within the Pentagon. The bill prohibits transgender participation in military academy sports and “requires all military promotions, accessions, and command selections to be based on individual merit and demonstrated performance, rather than race, ethnicity, or sex.”
What didn’t make it?
Notably, the NDAA does not include language to expand in vitro fertilization treatment for service members. Johnson had been opposed to including an expansion, stating previously that Congress should not get involved in legislating on IVF.
He did leave the door open on a possible compromise for another piece of legislation in the future this past week, with a spokesperson saying the speaker is “supportive of access to IVF when sufficient pro-life protections are in place, and he will continue to be supportive when it is done responsibly and ethically.”
The defense bill also does not include the ROAD to Housing Act, which was a legislative priority for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC). The bill aims to boost the country’s housing supply, as Republicans grapple with affordability messaging heading into 2026.
Rep. French Hill (R-AR), Scott’s counterpart on the House Financial Services Committee, was opposed to including the measure in the NDAA. Democrats serving on both committees were in favor of including the ROAD to Housing Act in the defense legislation.
In a statement on Sunday, Hill said he shares Trump’s goal to expand housing and that the Financial Services Committee will “advance solutions” this month to “tackle housing cost and access challenges” for people.
“Next year, we look forward to working with our Senate colleagues to send a bill to the president’s desk that reflects the views of both chambers and leads to more affordable choices for America’s homeowners and renters,” Hill said.
The NDAA also does not include a bipartisan agreement to reverse some of the Trump administration’s renaming of several Army bases that had been politically controversial due to their connections to the Confederacy.
The House-passed NDAA in September blocked War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reversal of a separate base-renaming effort for nine Army posts, which was directed by Congress in 2020. The Senate’s version only overruled Hegseth’s plan to reverse the renaming of three bases in Virginia. But those provisions are no longer in the NDAA released Sunday, per House Republican leadership aides.
Republicans celebrate NDAA final product
House Republicans are celebrating the NDAA, saying it will carry out Trump’s “peace through strength” agenda.
Republicans are touting that the bill saves taxpayers $20 billion in savings. Of that number, $40.5 million comes from eliminating DEI, $1.6 billion from axing climate change programs, and $6.8 billion from reducing “unnecessary Pentagon bureaucracy.”
Johnson highlighted that the bill codifies 15 of Trump’s executive orders and ends “woke ideology” at the Pentagon in a statement on Sunday.
“Under President Trump, the U.S. is rebuilding strength, restoring deterrence, and proving America will not back down. President Trump and Republicans promised peace through strength. The FY26 NDAA delivers it,” Johnson said.
The speaker and Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said the legislation will build upon investments secured in the “big, beautiful bill,” which Republicans have sought to rebrand as the “Working Families Tax Cut” to better market their reconciliation legislation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
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“I’m eager to send this to President Trump’s desk so we can give our military the tools they need to remain the most ready, capable, and lethal force in the world,” Rogers said in a statement.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS), House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith (D-WA), and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-RI) for comment.