NDAA update · Oct 29, 2026

NDAA Update Oct 29, 2026: Inside the breakdown of Trump's $1.5 trillion Pentagon plan

Six stories on Oct. 29: The Washington Post's Noah Robertson on the breakdown of Trump's $1.5 trillion Pentagon plan, with the Post speaking with 30 people at the center of national security in Congress, including 20 lawmakers on committees overseeing the Pentagon, lawmakers deadlocked on the major defense policy and spending bills with just over 20 legislative days left in the year, the NDAA having advanced for 65 consecutive years but this year failing to advance in the Senate and barely passing the House, where more Republicans voted against it than Democrats voted for it, the two chambers negotiating a final version with votes expected later this fall, most lawmakers saying the annual defense appropriations bill is at greater risk of failing, the administration splitting its $1.5 trillion request into $1.15 trillion needing Democratic support and $350 billion meant to pass with GOP votes alone, Republicans not having agreed on a strategy for the party-line share, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urging Congress to approve an additional $67 billion for the Iran war and other operations that nearly all Senate Democrats blocked, CENTCOM estimating the Iran conflict cost more than $47 billion as of mid-October, and lawmakers of both parties describing Hegseth's adversarial behavior as straining bipartisan dealmaking, Bloomberg Government's Zach Williams on a bipartisan group of more than 100 lawmakers, led by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), sending a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and their Democratic counterparts saying shipbuilding should be included in the must-pass defense bill when they return from recess, the letter — shared first with Bloomberg Government — stating that a robust Merchant Marine outfitted with U.S. shipping vessels manned by American mariners would be critical for addressing logistical challenges in a prolonged conflict, Rep. Vern Buchanan leading a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees urging inclusion of his ten bipartisan amendments, all unanimously adopted in the House-passed FY27 NDAA (H.R. 8800), in the final bill, covering combating military obesity including a Continuous Glucose Monitoring pilot mirroring his FORCE-FIT Act and a Go for Green nutrition report, defense supply chains including an inventory of legacy semiconductor dependencies and a plan to end reliance on foreign single-source suppliers, a report on AI-powered attacks, scams and fraud targeting military installations and personnel, tactical vehicle risk management and ground safety, and training-accident reduction reporting, gCaptain's Mike Schuler on a bipartisan group of 119 lawmakers, in an Oct. 29 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led by Reps. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), urging keeping and expanding SHIPS for America Act (Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security Act of 2025) provisions in the final FY2027 NDAA, the House-passed H.R. 8800 including elements of the SHIPS Act under Title XXXVI, agreed to unanimously per the letter, the lawmakers calling that "a necessary start" and wanting omitted provisions considered, the letter citing China, South Korea and Japan building more than 90% of global shipbuilding tonnage vs. under 1% for the U.S. and fewer than 100 U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce vs. an estimated Chinese fleet of more than 5,500, WABI News Desk on Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) sending a letter to both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees urging them to keep his amendment in the final defense authorization bill, the House having approved a version barring overseas production in July while a Senate proposal would allow the Pentagon to build certain naval vessels abroad, Golden asking negotiators from both chambers to preserve his amendment before the final bill goes to a vote, and the HASC-adopted Golden amendment saying none of the funds authorized for the Navy in FY27 may be obligated or expended to contract for a battle force ship built in a foreign yard, and RealClearDefense's Lt. Gen. Richard Newton (USAF, ret.) arguing that FY2027 NDAA "Right to Repair" legislation goes well beyond letting warfighters repair their own equipment and would expand the Department of War's rights to share sensitive technical data outside the U.S. government, citing a Pentagon investigation after sensitive F-35 components — a cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door coated with specialized radar-absorbing stealth technology — reportedly ended up in the possession of the Chinese government earlier this year after a mishandled shipment ended up in Hong Kong, and urging Congress to strip the high-risk provisions from the NDAA.

Bill status

No change in the bill's status: the House passed H.R. 8800 on July 22, 2026; S. 4784 has not reached the Senate floor; and the Senate is scheduled to return the week of November 9, after the November 3 election, with the NDAA deferred to the lame-duck session. Full timeline: FY2027 NDAA status · Did the NDAA pass? · NDAA 2027 status · What happens next.

The stories

Inside the breakdown of Trump's $1.5 trillion Pentagon plan

The Washington Post · Oct 29, 2026

Noah Robertson reports that The Washington Post spoke with 30 people at the center of national security in Congress, including 20 lawmakers on committees overseeing the Pentagon. With just over 20 legislative days left in the year, lawmakers are deadlocked on the major defense policy and spending bills. The NDAA has advanced for 65 consecutive years; this year it failed to advance in the Senate and barely passed the House, where more Republicans voted against it than Democrats voted for it; the two chambers are negotiating a final version with votes expected later this fall. Most lawmakers said the annual defense appropriations bill is at greater risk of failing. The administration split its $1.5 trillion request into $1.15 trillion needing Democratic support and $350 billion meant to pass with GOP votes alone; Republicans haven't agreed on a strategy for the party-line share. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged Congress to approve an additional $67 billion for the Iran war and other operations; nearly all Senate Democrats blocked it. CENTCOM estimated the Iran conflict cost more than $47 billion as of mid-October. Lawmakers of both parties described Hegseth's adversarial behavior — withholding information, attacking Democrats and some Republicans — as straining bipartisan dealmaking. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.): "The people who have been around for a few days have seen what normal looks like. We're not living in normal." Pentagon spokesman Joel Valdez: "Lawmakers understand exactly how critical the National Defense Authorization Act and defense appropriations are to military readiness." Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) faulted Democrats; Sen. Angus King (I-Maine): "it takes a lot of nerve." There's still time for a deal, but as the midterms approach, frustration over Iran — and Hegseth — has stymied the president's agenda.

Lawmakers Push House, Senate Leaders Over Shipbuilding in NDAA

Bloomberg Government · Oct 29, 2026

Zach Williams reports that a bipartisan group of more than 100 lawmakers sent a letter to congressional leaders — House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and their Democratic counterparts — saying shipbuilding should be included in the must-pass defense bill when they return from recess. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) led the effort. The letter, shared first with Bloomberg Government: "Should the United States enter a prolonged conflict, a robust Merchant Marine, outfitted with U.S. shipping vessels manned by American mariners, would be critical for addressing any potential logistical challenges." Kelly and Young sponsor the SHIPS for America Act; the House-passed H.R. 8800 includes a rewritten SHIPS Act.

Buchanan Highlights Key Priorities for Final Defense Bill

Office of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (press release) · Oct 29, 2026

Rep. Vern Buchanan led a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees urging inclusion of his ten bipartisan amendments, all unanimously adopted in the House-passed FY27 NDAA (H.R. 8800), in the final bill. They cover combating military obesity, including a Continuous Glucose Monitoring pilot mirroring his FORCE-FIT Act and a Go for Green nutrition report; defense supply chains, including an inventory of legacy semiconductor dependencies and a plan to end reliance on foreign single-source suppliers; a report on AI-powered attacks, scams and fraud targeting military installations and personnel; tactical vehicle risk management and ground safety; and training-accident reduction reporting. Buchanan: "All 10 of my amendments seek to protect the health, safety and readiness of our servicemembers, counter emerging threats from foreign adversaries and strengthen America's defense supply chains."

More Than 100 Lawmakers Push to Include SHIPS for America Act in Defense Bill

gCaptain · Oct 29, 2026

Mike Schuler reports that a bipartisan group of 119 lawmakers, in an Oct. 29 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urged keeping and expanding SHIPS for America Act (Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security Act of 2025) provisions in the final FY2027 NDAA. The letter was led by Reps. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.) and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) and Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). The House-passed H.R. 8800 includes elements of the SHIPS Act under Title XXXVI, agreed to unanimously per the letter; the lawmakers call that "a necessary start" and want omitted provisions considered. The letter cites China, South Korea and Japan building more than 90% of global shipbuilding tonnage vs. under 1% for the U.S., and fewer than 100 U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce vs. an estimated Chinese fleet of more than 5,500. The letter: "Especially should the United States enter a prolonged conflict, a robust Merchant Marine, outfitted with U.S. shipping vessels manned by American mariners, would be critical for addressing any potential logistical challenges associated with the transportation of supplies." Signers include Sens. Susan Collins, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Amy Klobuchar, Katie Britt and John Fetterman and Reps. Joe Courtney and Rob Wittman.

Rep. Golden urges negotiators to keep American shipbuilding measure in final defense bill

WABI · Oct 29, 2026

WABI News Desk reports that Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) sent a letter to both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees urging them to keep his amendment in the final defense authorization bill. The House approved a version barring overseas production in July, while a Senate proposal would allow the Pentagon to build certain naval vessels abroad. Golden asks negotiators from both chambers to preserve his amendment before the final bill goes to a vote. Golden's June 5, 2026 release said the HASC-adopted amendment specifies that none of the funds authorized for the Navy in FY27 may be obligated or expended to contract for a battle force ship built in a foreign yard.

Congress: Don't Let the NDAA Hand China Our Defense Blueprints

RealClearDefense · Oct 29, 2026

Lt. Gen. Richard Newton (USAF, ret.) argues that FY2027 NDAA "Right to Repair" legislation goes well beyond letting warfighters repair their own equipment and would expand the Department of War's rights to share sensitive technical data outside the U.S. government, creating more opportunities for adversaries to obtain it. He cites a Pentagon investigation after sensitive F-35 components — a cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door coated with specialized radar-absorbing stealth technology — reportedly ended up in the possession of the Chinese government earlier this year, and writes that the mishandled shipment of F-35 spare parts ended up in Hong Kong. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL): "We cannot allow advanced military technologies to fall into the hands of U.S. adversaries." Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) called this a "MASSIVE problem," saying, "China spends enormous resources trying to penetrate our most advanced military technology, we cannot make their job easier through failures in our own supply chain." Newton writes it is ironic that members including Harrigan, Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) are championing right-to-repair while decrying the CCP's attempt to reverse engineer a major American military platform. The House passed its $1.15 trillion defense bill in July 216-212 before the shipment incident; the Senate is still negotiating, and SASC Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) has said the committee is committed to finishing before the end of the calendar year. Newton urges Congress to strip the high-risk right-to-repair provisions from the NDAA, writing that passing the legislation "would turn a known national security vulnerability into federal policy."

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