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 authorize the Department of Defense's programs, activities, and spending levels for fiscal year 2026. It would set personnel strength limits for active duty and reserve forces, authorize procurement of aircraft, ships, and missiles, fund military construction projects, and extend the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. It would also require DOD to develop a biotechnology national security strategy, direct the Navy to improve ship maintenance at private shipyards, 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 (authorized strength levels protect jobs and benefits); defense contractors and private shipyards that build and maintain aircraft, ships, and missiles; Indo-Pacific allies and partners who benefit from extended U.S. deterrence commitments; communities near military construction projects; biotechnology companies that may receive national security contracts; Navy sailors who would serve on ships with improved material readiness; DOD employees and units whose programs receive authorized funding.
Who is hurt
DOD employees who currently hold diversity, equity, and inclusion roles — including the Chief Diversity Officer — whose positions would be eliminated; military personnel and applicants from historically underrepresented groups who may have relied on DEI recruitment and retention programs; defense contractors who built compliance infrastructure around DEI requirements; taxpayers who bear the cost of a defense budget that, while not specified here, is among the largest in the federal budget; communities near bases or shipyards that do not receive construction or maintenance contracts; countries or actors whose strategic position is weakened by enhanced U.S. Indo-Pacific deterrence posture.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that the bill strengthens national security by modernizing the military's weapons inventory, extending deterrence in the Indo-Pacific at a time of rising tensions with China, and directing the Navy to fix longstanding ship readiness problems that have degraded combat capability. They also argue that repealing DEI mandates removes bureaucratic programs that distracted from military readiness and merit-based standards, and that requiring a biotechnology strategy positions the U.S. to compete with adversaries in an emerging domain of warfare.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that repealing DEI provisions undermines recruitment and retention of a diverse force that reflects the nation it defends, potentially narrowing the talent pool and harming unit cohesion in a military that has long recognized diversity as a readiness asset. They also argue that the bill's overall spending priorities may not reflect the most cost-effective approach to deterrence, that private shipyard reliance for Navy maintenance has historically produced cost overruns and delays, and that eliminating the Chief Diversity Officer position removes institutional accountability for equal opportunity within the armed forces.
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)