Pentagon Spending

We usually know what to expect. But this year is different

Editors note: as of October 2026, this remains the latest update on the NDAA process. Negotiations are continuing quietly but we know that Congress is feeling the heat on this for the first time.

Along with our 250th Independence Day, this weekend marks one year since President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA).

As we said at the time, there’s nothing “beautiful” about this immoral budget bill.

A year later, here’s a look at some of the harms that are unfolding as a result:

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees are getting ready to vote on the annual military policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA. This year’s bill currently authorizes an outrageous $1.15 trillion for the Pentagon.

On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed into law the annual military policy bill (the National Defense Authorization Act or “NDAA”) for fiscal year 2026. 

The bill included a key FCNL priority that our D.C. lobbyists and grassroots advocates have spent years working for: repeal of the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, the law that authorized the Iraq War.

The Trump administration has announced plans to request $1.01 trillion for Pentagon spending for fiscal year 2026. That includes more than two thirds of the $150 billion from the reconciliation bill currently being considered by Congress, coupled with the $893 billion requested in President Donald Trump’s “skinny budget.”  

Last Friday, February 21 Senate Republicans passed a $340 billion budget framework, allocating substantial funds to military spending and border security, despite unanimous Democratic opposition. This framework includes up to $150 billion for the Pentagon and $175 billion to fund President Trump’s agenda for mass immigration detention and deportation over four years.  

Urge Congress to oppose any FY25 appropriations bills that increase the Pentagon budget beyond the limits set in the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act.

These lists contribute to ballooning military spending and compound an already dysfunctional Congressional budget process.

Instead of giving the Pentagon and weapons contractors an additional $30 billion to fund their wish list for weapons and war, the American people deserve to get our own unfunded needs met. This year, FCNL’s People’s Unfunded Priorities List highlights four key areas where these additional funds could be better spent supporting human needs.