The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a defense spending bill for fiscal year 2026, totaling $852 billion. The measure, supported by a 26-3 vote, was authored by U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Vice Chair of the subcommittee.
According to McConnell and Coons in an op-ed published in The Washington Post, the legislation would restore aid to Ukraine, increase support for European and Pacific allies, and exceed both the president’s budget request and funding passed by the House to modernize the U.S. military and its industrial base.
“America’s adversaries — principally China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — are investing heavily to blunt our military advantages, threaten our interests and undermine our influence. They’re collaborating on military technology, providing each other with diplomatic cover, and otherwise facilitating one another’s aggression and hegemonic aspirations. Countering this growing alignment requires strengthening our own alliances and partnerships with smart soft-power investments in global health and humanitarian aid that deny China opportunities to supplant U.S. influence,” wrote McConnell and Coons.
They emphasized that recent reliance on continuing resolutions rather than full-year appropriations has hindered Pentagon operations: “This year, the Pentagon has had to meet payrolls, train forces, procure weapons and sustain operations with funds based on estimates made more than a year ago. That’s because, for the first time ever, Congress and the administration funded our military through a continuing resolution at spending levels set in 2023 instead of passing an updated budget. This was a tremendous missed opportunity to make serious, full-year investments in readiness, modernization and industrial capacity, and it has already had enormous consequences.”
Despite recent emergency funding measures passed by Congress last month to address some shortfalls—such as shipbuilding and munitions—the senators said these efforts have not fully addressed critical gaps.
They also highlighted ongoing challenges: “Our effort this year won’t be enough to close the gaps with our adversaries’ sustained investments. Expanding shipyard and munitions capacity, deepening stocks of critical weapons, adopting new technologies, and recruiting and retaining service members and a skilled civilian workforce will all require increased funding. Meeting the urgent needs of a military adapting to renewed major-power competition will take growing annual commitments.”
The bill proposes $7.3 billion for expanding munitions production capacity amid concerns about depleted stockpiles due to high-tempo operations such as defending navigation against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
In response to China’s rapid naval expansion—which analysts say is outpacing current U.S. shipbuilding capabilities—the Senate bill includes an additional $8.7 billion for projects like Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines as well as destroyers.
Service members would see quality-of-life improvements under this proposal: “Our bill also makes significant investments in quality of life for men and women in uniform, such as major renovations of Marine Corps barracks across many bases and a pay raise of nearly 4 percent, including funding the raise for junior enlisted members in last year’s defense authorization bill. It also fully funds child care fee assistance programs for military families for the first time.”
Allied support is another focus area: “Finally, we recognize the enormous dividends of investing in allies and partners. Our measure will help our friends — from the Baltic states to the Global South, the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East — build more capable forces, buy U.S.-made weapons and technologies, increase collective deterrence, and keep more U.S. service members out of harm’s way.”
The legislation would restore funding for initiatives such as Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative while supporting programs aimed at strengthening partnerships abroad.
Quoting Adm. Harold Stark from World War II era—“dollars cannot buy yesterday”—the senators concluded that timely investment is necessary if Congress wants to counter future threats effectively.
