Amendment Rejected (47-50, 3/5 majority required)
47 Yea50 Nay3 Not voting3/5 required
S-2296-119
Held at the desk.
Sponsored by Roger Wicker (R-MS)
What it does
This bill would set defense policy and authorize spending levels for Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) national security programs for fiscal year 2026. It would authorize procurement of aircraft, ships, and missiles; set active duty and reserve personnel strength levels; authorize military construction projects; and extend the Pacific Deterrence Initiative through FY2026. The bill would also require DOD to develop a biotechnology national security strategy, direct the Navy to improve shipyard maintenance processes, and repeal statutory provisions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within DOD, including eliminating the Chief Diversity Officer position.
Who benefits
Active duty military personnel and their families, who receive authorized pay and benefits. Defense contractors and private shipyards that receive procurement and maintenance contracts. Indo-Pacific allies and partners who benefit from the extended Pacific Deterrence Initiative. Reserve component service members whose strength levels are authorized. Communities near military construction projects. Biotechnology researchers whose field gains national security relevance and potential future funding. Taxpayers who support reduced administrative overhead if DEI program eliminations reduce costs.
Who is hurt
DOD civilian employees who held diversity, equity, and inclusion roles, including the Chief Diversity Officer, whose positions would be eliminated. Service members and applicants from underrepresented groups who may have benefited from DEI recruitment and retention programs. Adversary nations whose military calculus is affected by increased U.S. deterrence posture in the Indo-Pacific. Domestic industries competing with defense contractors for skilled labor and materials. Taxpayers who bear the cost of the overall defense budget authorized by the bill.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the NDAA is the primary vehicle for maintaining U.S. military readiness and that extending the Pacific Deterrence Initiative is essential to countering China's rapid military buildup in the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. has treaty obligations to multiple allies. They contend that the Navy shipyard readiness provisions address a documented maintenance backlog that has reduced the number of deployable surface ships, and that repealing DEI mandates restores a merit-based focus that strengthens unit cohesion and operational effectiveness.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that repealing DEI provisions — including the Chief Diversity Officer position — removes programs that the DOD itself identified as tools for improving recruitment and retention in a military facing persistent enlistment shortfalls, potentially narrowing the talent pool at a time of heightened readiness demands. They contend that the Pacific Deterrence Initiative's expansion increases the risk of military miscalculation with China without a corresponding diplomatic strategy, and that the bill's overall authorization level continues a pattern of defense spending growth that crowds out other federal priorities.
Amendment Rejected (47-50, 3/5 majority required)
Amendment Rejected (46-52, 3/5 majority required)
Amendment Rejected (46-50, 3/5 majority required)
Amendment Rejected (53-43, 3/5 majority required)
Bill Passed (77-20, 3/5 majority required)
Amendment Rejected (10-88, 3/5 majority required)
Amendment Rejected (47-50, 3/5 majority required)
Amendment Rejected (51-46, 3/5 majority required)
Amendment Rejected (14-83, 3/5 majority required)
Motion to Table Agreed to (51-49)
Motion to Proceed Agreed to (83-13)
Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to (84-14, 3/5 majority required)