The House passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, H.R. 8800) on July 22, prior to leaving for its traditional August recess. The measure passed by a tight vote of 216-212.

“Our national security depends on a ready, capable, and well-equipped fighting force backed by a robust and innovative defense industrial base. The FY27 NDAA delivers that,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said in a statement. "Peace Through Strength begins long before the battlefield – it is forged in America’s factories, depots, and shipyards. After years of underinvestment, the FY27 NDAA revitalizes America’s defense industrial base and gives our military the capacity to deter our adversaries and carry out President Trump’s Peace Through Strength Agenda."

The $1.15 trillion measure includes an increase in uniformed military pay by 5-7 percent for 2026, pursuant to President Trump’s request. It remains silent on civilian pay. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who offered a pay raise amendment for all feds in the appropriations process, was critical of the omission for defense civilians. “Hardworking civilian federal employees at the Defense Department are no less deserving of an annual raise than their compatriots in uniform. Oftentimes, civilian and military personnel work side by side doing similar work at the Pentagon and on bases across the world, yet this National Defense Authorization Act gives military personnel as much as a 7% raise while leaving civilian employees behind,” Hoyer said. Hoyer also criticized the topline figure for spending more than $1 trillion.

During consideration on the House floor the House rejected an amendment offered by Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) that would have required the Defense Department to explore ways to reduce its civilian personnel by 200,000.

“I have kind of looked into this… I have found shocking anecdotes of people working in the private sector, in big companies who manage to get by doing very little work because the companies are just plain too big, and people fall between the cracks. If that’s going on in private sector big companies, think how much more likely that’s happening in a big organization like the Department of War,” Grothman said during consideration. “I think it’d be a good exercise for the Department of War to say, ‘We’ve got at least 705,000 people. What would happen if we had to get rid of 200,000?’ Maybe we’ll find they’re all necessary, but I don’t think so… I’m kind of shocked that we have a lot of people who don’t want auditors poking around the Department of War and seeing what they’ll find out.”

Grothman’s amendment gained 175 votes, but failed 175-245.

The full Senate needs to pass its version of the NDAA before the two bills can be reconciled. The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), S. 4874, on June 11, by a vote of 18-9. Notably, the Senate version prohibits any reduction in force (RIF), hiring delay, or hiring freeze at any of the four public shipyards or for any position funded by a working capital fund.

Click here to read a detailed summary of the Senate version.

As in the House version, the Senate bill includes language to formally rename the Department of Defense the “Department of War.” The Congressional Budget Office estimates the change would cost up to $125 million to implement.

Among the differences between the bills, the Senate version authorizes a 3.6 percent pay raise for all military members, while the House version authorizes a 7 percent pay raise for all military personnel ranked E-5 and below, a 6 percent boost for E-6 to O-3, and a 5 percent raise for O-4 and above. Neither bill boosts spending for defense civilians. However, the Senate version allows the Secretary of Defense to establish the pay of wage-grade employees located at any defense industrial base facility, in an effort to make rates of pay comparable to the private sector and surrounding areas.

SASC Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) called S. 4874 a “seminal breakthrough for the American military,” that will “define the next generation of warfare.” Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) said the bill strengthens national defense and enhances oversight and accountability. “It forces the Secretary to be more accountable to Congress and will prevent many errors of the past from being repeated in the future,” according to Reed.