H.R. 7148 — Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026

This section waives, for the current fiscal year, prohibitions on the Department of Defense (DOD) paying compensation to or employing non-U.S. citizens. It limits salary increases for direct- and indirect-hire foreign national DOD employees funded by this Act to the higher of (1) the percentage increase authorized by law for DOD civilian employees paid under the General Schedule or (2) the percentage increase provided by the host nation to its own employees. The waiver and salary limits do not apply to DOD foreign service national employees at U.S. diplomatic missions paid by the Department of State under the Foreign Service Act of 1980, and the salary limits do not apply to foreign national DOD employees in Turkey.

This section limits obligations of appropriations in this Act that are available for the current fiscal year to no more than 20% during the last two months of the fiscal year. The limitation does not apply to obligations for support of active duty training of reserve components or summer camp training of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense, upon determining it necessary in the national interest and with OMB Director approval, to transfer up to $6 billion of DOD working capital funds or funds available in the Act for military functions (except military construction) between such appropriations or subdivisions thereof, to be merged for the same purposes and time period. Transfers are permitted only for higher-priority items based on unforeseen military requirements—not for items denied by Congress—with prompt congressional notification required; prohibits using Act funds to prepare or present reprogramming requests except under the same conditions; requires multiple reprogramming requests using this authority prior to June 30, 2026; and excludes transfers among military personnel appropriations from the $6 billion limit.

This section requires obligations and expenditures of appropriated amounts for specified programs, projects, and activities to follow the project-level adjustments and dollar amounts in the explanatory statement tables titled "Explanation of Project Level Adjustments" and the classified annex, as if included in the Act. It further specifies that such amounts are not subdivisions of appropriations for purposes of the general transfer authority in section 8005 but allows transfers between appropriation accounts under that authority (subject to subsection (c) limitations) and exempts transfers for proper execution of the funds from section 8005's transfer amount limits. For amounts in titles III and IV, it prohibits transfers under section 8005 except as necessary for proper execution.

This section directs the Department of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees, not later than 60 days after enactment, a report establishing the baseline for FY2026 reprogramming and transfer authorities. The report must include (1) tables for each appropriation showing the President's budget request, congressional adjustments, enacted rescissions (if applicable), and the FY2026 enacted level; (2) delineations by budget activity and program, project, and activity as detailed in the budget appendix; and (3) identifications of items of special congressional interest. It further prohibits reprogramming or transfer of any funds provided in this Act until the report is submitted—absent a written emergency certification by the Secretary of Defense—with exceptions for transfers from the Environmental Restoration accounts for Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense-Wide, and Formerly Used Defense Sites, and from the Drug Interdiction and Counter-drug Activities, Defense account.

This section limits cash balances in Department of Defense working capital funds, established pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2208, to amounts necessary for cash disbursements during the current fiscal year. The section authorizes transfers (1) between such funds and (2) between such funds and the Foreign Currency Fluctuations, Defense or Operation and Maintenance appropriations, as determined by the Secretary of Defense with Office of Management and Budget Director approval and subject to congressional notification. The section further prohibits obligations against working capital funds to procure or increase war reserve material inventory beyond amounts appropriated to such funds in this Act without prior congressional notification by the Secretary of Defense.

This section prohibits using funds appropriated by this Act to initiate or materially modify the scope of a special access program without providing 30 calendar days' prior notification to the congressional defense committees.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense (DoD) from using appropriated funds to initiate multiyear procurement contracts that employ economic order quantity procurement exceeding $20 million in any year or include unfunded contingent liabilities exceeding $20 million, or total more than $500 million, unless the congressional defense committees receive 30-day advance notification, advance procurement is fully funded to the limits of government liability, and a present value analysis confirms lowest cost compared to annual procurement; it further requires 30-day prior notification for any termination. This section conditions multiyear contracts executed after enactment on (1) budget requests fully funding units to be procured (including production funding beyond advance procurement for aircraft in the covered fiscal year); (2) cancellation provisions excluding contractor recurring manufacturing costs for unfunded units; (3) payments only after incurred costs on funded units; and (4) no price adjustment based on a failure to procure. Concurrent with the President's FY2027 budget submission—including compliant P-1 and R-1 procurement documents identifying fund allocations—this section authorizes multiyear procurement for up to five years for Standard Missile–6, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range, Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, and Standard Missile–3 Block 1B; and up to seven years for PATRIOT Advanced Capability–3 Missile Segment Enhancement, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, and Tomahawk Cruise Missile Systems (with Secretary of Defense certification of national security interests required beforehand for Tomahawk, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range, and Standard Missile–6); no funds may be obligated for these contracts prior to submission.

This section appropriates operation and maintenance funds of the Armed Forces for humanitarian and civic assistance (HCA) costs under 10 U.S.C. chapter 20, pursuant to section 401 of that title, including costs incidental to authorized operations (with reporting as required by 10 U.S.C. §401(d)). It further makes such funds available for HCA using Civic Action Teams in the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands and freely associated states of Micronesia, pursuant to the Compact of Free Association (P.L. 99-239). (Thus, these small military units may perform projects such as infrastructure improvements and medical, dental, and veterinary care to build goodwill and support U.S. interests.) Finally, it authorizes the Secretary of Defense to provide nonreimbursable medical services and transportation at Defense Health Agency facilities in Hawaii for civilian patients from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and Guam, upon determining such action benefits graduate medical education programs at those facilities.

This section limits the obligation and expenditure of funds in the Defense Modernization Account—which enables Department of Defense transfers for advanced technology programs—to the four purposes specified in 10 U.S.C. § 3136(d)(1)-(4) (i.e., hypersonic test beds, directed energy weapons, high-powered lasers, and related prototyping). It further prohibits transfers to the account of any program increases detailed in the "Explanation of Project Level Adjustments" tables in this Act's explanatory statement.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act, directly or indirectly, to influence congressional action on any legislation or appropriation matters pending before Congress.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using funds appropriated in this Act—except for necessary or routine refurbishments, upgrades, or maintenance—to reduce or prepare to reduce the number of deployed and non-deployed strategic delivery vehicles and launchers (i.e., intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers) below levels specified in the report required by section 1042 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

This section authorizes transfers of funds appropriated in title III for the Department of Defense Pilot Mentor-Protégé Program (i.e., a program enabling experienced defense contractors to assist small-business protégés in developing capabilities for DoD contracts) to any other appropriation in this Act solely to implement developmental assistance agreements under the DoD Mentor-Protégé Program (10 U.S.C. §4902). It further requires the Secretary of Defense to describe all such transfers from the prior fiscal year in the FY2027 budget justification documents submitted to Congress.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using funds appropriated by this Act to purchase welded shipboard anchor and mooring chain unless it is manufactured in the United States from components substantially manufactured in the United States (i.e., where the aggregate cost of U.S.-produced or manufactured components exceeds the aggregate cost of foreign components). For this purpose, manufacturing includes cutting, heat treating, quality control, testing of chain, and welding (including forging and shot blasting). The section authorizes the Secretary of the responsible military service to waive the restriction on a case-by-case basis if adequate domestic supplies are unavailable to meet DoD requirements on a timely basis, upon written certification to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that the acquisition is needed for national security purposes.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to support Department of Defense nonappropriated funds activities (i.e., morale, welfare, and recreation programs) that procure malt beverages and wine with nonappropriated funds for resale (including by the drink) on U.S. military installations, unless such beverages are procured within the state, or the District of Columbia, in which the installation is located. For installations located in multiple states, purchases may be made in any such state; the local procurement requirement for malt beverages and wine applies to all alcoholic beverages only on installations in non-contiguous states; and other alcoholic beverages on installations in contiguous states and the District of Columbia must be procured from the most competitive source, with price and other factors considered.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using available funds to demilitarize or dispose of M–1 Carbines, M–1 Garand rifles, M–14 rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .30 caliber rifles, or M–1911 pistols, or to demilitarize or destroy small arms ammunition or ammunition components not otherwise prohibited from commercial sale under federal law, unless such ammunition or components are certified by the Secretary of the Army (or designee) as unserviceable or unsafe for further use.

This section limits to $500,000 (per fiscal year) the amount of funds appropriated or made available by this Act that may be used for any single relocation of a Department of Defense organization, unit, activity, or function into or within the National Capital Region. The Secretary of Defense may waive this limitation on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the congressional defense committees that such a relocation is required in the best interest of the government.

This section allocates $24,613,000 from funds appropriated under the "Procurement, Defense-Wide" heading for incentive payments authorized by section 504 of the Indian Financing Act of 1974 (25 U.S.C. 1544). (As background, those payments compensate non-Indian Department of Defense prime contractors up to 1% of the prime contract amount for including qualified Indian organizations as subcontractors.) The section deems prime contractors or subcontractors at any tier eligible for such payments upon awarding subcontracts exceeding $500,000 to qualified Indian subcontractors or suppliers—or small businesses owned and controlled by Indians as defined in 25 U.S.C. 4221(9)—using DoD appropriated funds and applies the incentives to all DoD acquisitions of supplies or services, including commercial items, notwithstanding 41 U.S.C. 1906.

This section authorizes the Secretary of the Air Force to convey, at no cost and without consideration, excess relocatable military housing units from Grand Forks Air Force Base, Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and Minot Air Force Base to federally recognized Indian tribes in Nevada, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, Minnesota, and Washington. Conveyances occur in accordance with requests submitted by the Operation Walking Shield Program on behalf of such tribes—which resolves any inter-tribal conflicts—with the condition that recipients remove the units within a reasonable time, as determined by the Secretary.

This section designates not less than $12 million from funds appropriated to the Department of Defense under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for mitigating environmental impacts on Indian lands resulting from DoD activities, including training and technical assistance to tribes, related administrative support, gathering information, documenting environmental damage, and developing a system for prioritizing mitigation and estimating costs to complete such mitigation.

This section provides not less than $79 million for the Civil Air Patrol Corporation (CAP)—the nonprofit civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force that conducts emergency services, cadet programs, and aerospace education—as follows: (1) $57.9 million from Operation and Maintenance, Air Force, for CAP operations, maintenance, readiness, counterdrug activities, and youth drug demand reduction programs; (2) $17.8 million from Aircraft Procurement, Air Force; and (3) $3.3 million from Other Procurement, Air Force, for vehicle procurement. It further states that the Secretary of the Air Force should waive reimbursement for any CAP funds used for counterdrug activities in support of federal, state, and local government agencies.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for Department of Defense (DoD) federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) from (1) establishing a new FFRDC as a new entity, separate entity administered by an existing FFRDC manager, or nonprofit consortium of FFRDCs and other nonprofits; (2) compensating members of FFRDC boards of directors, trustees, or similar entities (except when acting in a technical advisory capacity), while allowing travel expenses and per diem under federal regulations, and further prohibiting paid consultants from receiving such compensation from more than one FFRDC in a calendar year; and (3) notwithstanding other law, using any DoD funds in the current fiscal year for FFRDC construction of new buildings off military installations, cost-sharing for government grants, absorption of contract overruns, or certain charitable contributions (excluding employee community service). This section further limits such appropriated funds for professional technical staff-related costs of defense FFRDCs to $2,886,300,000 (of which not more than $461,300,000 is for defense studies and analysis FFRDCs), excluding staff years funded in the National Intelligence Program and Military Intelligence Program, and directs the Secretary of Defense to submit a report on planned staff years and budget estimates for each defense FFRDC by program with the FY2027 budget request.

This section defines the term "congressional defense committees" to mean the Armed Services Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate and the Subcommittees on Defense of the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

This section defines the term "congressional intelligence committees," for purposes of this Act, to mean the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, and the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.

This section authorizes the Department of Defense, during the current fiscal year, to acquire modification, depot maintenance, and repair of aircraft, vehicles, and vessels, as well as production of components and other defense-related articles, through competitions between Department of Defense depot maintenance activities and private firms. The Senior Acquisition Executive of the relevant military department or Defense Agency must certify that successful bids include comparable estimates of all direct and indirect costs for both public and private bids. Such competitions are exempt from Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 (i.e., federal policy on public-private competitions for commercial activities).

This section (1) prohibits the Department of Defense from expending funds appropriated by this Act unless the entity complies with the Buy American Act (chapter 83 of title 41, U.S. Code); (2) directs the Secretary of Defense to determine, under 10 U.S.C. 4658, whether to debar from Department contracting any person convicted of intentionally affixing a false "Made in America" label to a product sold in or shipped to the United States; and (3) expresses the sense of Congress that the Department, in expending such appropriations, purchase only American-made equipment and products if they are cost-competitive, quality competitive, and available in a timely fashion.

This section prohibits using funds appropriated by this Act to procure carbon, alloy, or armor steel plate that was not melted and rolled in the United States or Canada for any Department of Defense-owned facility or property. The restriction applies to Federal Supply Class 9515 and any American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) or American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) specifications of such steel plate; the secretary of the relevant military department may waive it on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that adequate U.S. or Canadian supplies are unavailable to meet DoD requirements on a timely basis and the acquisition is needed for national security purposes; the restriction does not apply to contracts in effect on the date of enactment.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense, after consultation with the United States Trade Representative, to rescind a blanket waiver of the Buy American Act for certain products from a foreign country if the Secretary determines that the country—party to a reciprocal defense procurement memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which such waiver was granted—has violated the MOU by discriminating against those U.S. products. The section also directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a report on Department of Defense purchases from foreign entities in FY2026, separately indicating the dollar value of items for which the Buy American Act was waived pursuant to such MOUs, the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, or any other international agreement to which the United States is a party.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to procure ball and roller bearings unless produced by a domestic source and of domestic origin. The Secretary of the responsible military department may waive this restriction on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that adequate domestic supplies are unavailable to meet Department of Defense requirements on a timely basis and the acquisition is needed for national security purposes. The restriction does not apply to commercial products, as defined in 41 U.S.C. §103, except for ball or roller bearings purchased as end items.

This section provides $50 million, to remain available until September 30, 2027, from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, for assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, including training, equipment, logistics support, supplies and services, stipends, infrastructure repair and renovation, and sustainment. The section requires vetting of Lebanese Armed Forces personnel for terrorist group associations and human rights commitments prior to assistance; 15-day prior written notice to the congressional defense committees before obligating funds; authority for the Secretary of Defense to waive certain acquisition laws or Arms Export Control Act restrictions (22 U.S.C. 2780, 2785) with notice and justification to specified committees; and quarterly reports to the congressional defense committees on fund uses, including individuals trained, support provided, areas of operations, and contributions from other entities.

This section prohibits the use of funds in this Act to purchase supercomputers not manufactured in the United States, unless the Secretary of Defense certifies to the congressional defense committees that such purchase is required to acquire national security capabilities unavailable from U.S. manufacturers.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to waive, on a case-by-case basis, statutory limitations on procuring defense items from foreign sources with respect to a specific country if applying the limitations would invalidate Department of Defense cooperative programs or reciprocal trade agreements for defense procurement with that country and the country does not discriminate against comparable U.S.-produced defense items. The waiver applies to contracts and subcontracts entered into on or after enactment and to options exercised after enactment under pre-enactment contracts if option prices are adjusted for reasons other than the waiver. The waiver does not apply to limitations regarding (1) construction of public vessels; (2) ball and roller bearings; (3) food; or (4) clothing or textile materials (as defined in Harmonized Tariff Schedule chapters 50–65) or products classified under headings 4010, 4202, 4203, 6401–6406, 6505, 7019, 7218–7229, 7304.41–7304.49, 7306.40, 7502–7508, 8105, 8108, 8109, 8211, 8215, and 9404.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from using funds appropriated by this Act or subsequent DOD appropriations acts to purchase or manufacture U.S. flags unless such flags are treated as covered items under 10 U.S.C. § 4862(b). (Thus, U.S. flags must comply with domestic sourcing requirements of the Berry Amendment, which mandates that certain textiles and related items be produced in the United States.)

This section makes amounts in the Department of Defense Overseas Military Facility Investment Recovery Account available until expended during the current fiscal year for payments specified in 10 U.S.C. §2687a(b)(2).

This section authorizes the Department of Defense to use operation and maintenance appropriations during the current fiscal year to purchase items having an investment item unit cost of up to $350,000. Upon determination by the Secretary of Defense that such action is necessary to meet the operational requirements of a combatant command in a named overseas contingency operation, those funds may be used for items up to $500,000.

This section makes up to $16,809,000 from funds appropriated for Navy operation and maintenance available for the Asia Pacific Regional Initiative Program to support U.S. Indo-Pacific Command theater security cooperation activities, such as humanitarian assistance and incremental and personnel costs for training and exercising with foreign security forces. Funds may be used notwithstanding other authorities for humanitarian assistance, security assistance, or combined exercise expenses but may not be obligated for assistance to any foreign country otherwise prohibited from receiving such assistance under other law.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations prohibiting the sale of tobacco or tobacco-related products in military resale outlets in the United States, its territories, and possessions at prices below the most competitive price in the local community. The regulations must further require prices of such products in overseas military retail outlets to be within the range of prices established for military retail system stores located in the United States.

This section (1) prohibits the use of Department of Defense Working Capital Funds during the current fiscal year to purchase investment items as new inventory for sale if such items would not have been chargeable to the Department of Defense Business Operations Fund in FY1994 and are chargeable to procurement appropriations in the current fiscal year; and (2) requires the FY2027 Department of Defense budget request, including all supporting materials, to budget any equipment classified as an end item and funded in procurement appropriations in this Act within proposed FY2027 procurement appropriations rather than Working Capital Funds supply management or other categories. (Working Capital Funds are revolving funds that finance Department of Defense business operations such as supply management, where costs are recovered through sales to military services. Thus, these restrictions prevent shifting major equipment procurement costs from direct appropriations into revolving funds.)

This section limits availability for obligation of funds appropriated by this Act for Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) programs to the current fiscal year, except as follows: (1) Reserve for Contingencies funds, until September 30, 2027; (2) CIA Central Services Working Capital Fund, until expended; (3) advanced research and development acquisition, agent operations, and covert action programs authorized by the President under section 503 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3093), until September 30, 2027; and (4) construction, improvement, or alteration of facilities primarily for intelligence community personnel, until September 30, 2028.

This section prohibits the use of appropriated funds to (1) establish a field operating agency or (2) pay the basic pay of an Armed Forces member or Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employee transferred or reassigned from a headquarters activity if the place of duty remains at that headquarters location. The Secretary of Defense or a military department secretary may waive these prohibitions on a case-by-case basis upon certifying to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that the waiver will reduce DoD personnel or financial requirements. This section does not apply to (1) field operating agencies funded within the National Intelligence Program; (2) an Army field operating agency established to eliminate, mitigate, or counter improvised explosive devices and similar threats; (3) an Army field operating agency established to improve the effectiveness and efficiencies of biometric activities and integrate common biometric technologies throughout DoD; or (4) an Air Force field operating agency established to administer the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Program and mortuary operations for DoD and authorized federal entities.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to convert Department of Defense (DoD) activities or functions performed by civilian employees to contractor performance unless (1) the conversion results from a public-private competition that includes a most efficient organization plan developed by the activity, (2) the Competitive Sourcing Official determines contractor performance will cost less over the solicitation period by at least the lesser of 10% of the most efficient organization's personnel-related costs or $10 million, and (3) the contractor receives no cost advantage from not offering employer-sponsored health insurance or offering a plan with lower employer premium contributions than under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. The section further authorizes DoD to contract for any commercial or industrial-type function on the procurement list under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (i.e., AbilityOne program), planned for performance by qualified nonprofits employing blind or severely disabled individuals, or planned for performance by firms at least 51% owned by Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations—without regard to the above restrictions or 10 U.S.C. §2461 (except for depot contracts or maintenance under 10 U.S.C. §§2469, 2474). Conversions under this section count toward any statutory, regulatory, or policy competitive sourcing goals and are deemed compliant with 10 U.S.C. §2304(h).

This section rescinds $5,708,887,000 from balances of funds appropriated in prior Department of Defense Appropriations Acts in 27 specified accounts and programs, as detailed below. The rescissions include (1) $2,565,062,000 from Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy: FFG–Frigate (i.e., Constellation-class guided-missile frigates), FY2020/2031 ($240,245,000), FY2022/2026 ($418,624,000), FY2023/2027 ($483,391,000), FY2024/2028 ($1,271,572,000), and FY2025/2029 ($151,230,000); (2) $960,780,000 from Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation accounts, FY2025/2026 (Army, $178,735,000; Navy, $82,461,000; Air Force, $329,435,000; Space Force, $370,149,000); (3) $2,060,387,000 from various procurement accounts, FY2024/2026 and FY2025/2027 (e.g., Procurement of Weapons and Tracked Combat Vehicles, Army, $452,647,000; Aircraft Procurement, Air Force, $218,952,000 total; Procurement, Space Force, $446,296,000 total); and (4) $122,658,000 from other accounts (Cooperative Threat Reduction Account, FY2024/2026, $33,936,000; Counter-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Train and Equip Fund, FY2025/2026, $50,000,000; Defense Health Program, FY2024/2026, $10,473,000; Defense Modernization Account, Defense-Wide, FY2025/2028, $28,249,000). Provided, That no amounts may be rescinded from amounts designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

This section prohibits the use of funds provided by this Act to reduce authorized positions for military technicians (dual status)—civilian personnel who must maintain Selected Reserve membership—in the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Army Reserve, and Air Force Reserve due to any administratively imposed civilian personnel ceiling, freeze, or reduction, unless the reductions result directly from a reduction in military force structure.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act for assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea unless specifically appropriated for that purpose. The restriction does not apply to activities incidental to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency mission to recover and identify remains of U.S. Armed Forces personnel from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency from transferring funds available for any fiscal year for drug interdiction or counter-drug activities to any other federal department or agency, except as specifically provided in an appropriations law.

This section appropriates $49 million to the Department of Defense for grants of $24 million to the United Service Organizations and $25 million to the Red Cross, upon the Secretary of Defense's determination that such grants serve the national interest.

This section requires that Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program set-asides—percentages of extramural research, development, test, and evaluation funding reserved for small businesses—be taken proportionally from all programs, projects, or activities contributing to the extramural budget, notwithstanding other provisions of the Act. The section further directs the Secretary of each military department, the Director of each Defense Agency, and the head of each other relevant Department of Defense component to submit to the congressional defense committees, concurrent with budget justification documents, a report detailing SBIR and STTR set-asides taken from such programs, projects, or activities during the most recently completed fiscal year.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from obligating or expending funds appropriated by this Act to reimburse contractors for employee bonuses or payments exceeding normal salary when such payments are part of restructuring costs associated with a business combination (i.e., a merger, acquisition, or similar corporate transaction).

This section authorizes the transfer of up to $30 million from Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide appropriations to military personnel appropriations during the current fiscal year. The transferred funds support military personnel in providing assistance (e.g., facilities, equipment, and training) to eligible non-Department of Defense organizations and activities—such as youth, recreational, and charitable groups—under 10 U.S.C. § 2012.

This section authorizes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to permit any person or entity to use equipment of the National Guard Distance Learning Project on a space-available, reimbursable basis, with reimbursement amounts established on a case-by-case basis. Amounts collected are credited to project funds without fiscal year limitation to defray associated costs.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated by this or prior Acts to retire, prepare to retire, place in storage, or place in backup aircraft inventory status any C-40 aircraft (i.e., military variant of Boeing 737 used for VIP transport). The prohibition does not apply to an individual C-40 aircraft that the Secretary of the Air Force determines, on a case-by-case basis, to be no longer mission capable due to a Class A mishap (i.e., accident causing death, permanent total disability, or $2 million in damage), subject to a written certification to the congressional defense committees that the status results from the mishap and not from lack of maintenance or other reasons. Not later than 90 days after enactment, the Secretary of Defense must submit to the congressional defense committees a report on steps taken by the Department of Defense to meet travel requirements for official or representational duties of members of Congress and the Cabinet in FY2026 and FY2027.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated in title IV of the Act (Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation accounts) to procure end-items for delivery to military forces for operational training, operational use, or inventory requirements, except for end-items used in development, prototyping pursuant to an approved test strategy, and test activities leading to acceptance for operational use. If the number of such budgeted end-items exceeds the amount required in an approved test strategy, the Under Secretaries of Defense for Research and Engineering and for Acquisition and Sustainment, in coordination with the relevant Service Acquisition Executive, must certify to the congressional defense committees a bona fide need for the excess at the time of the FY2027 budget submission (with the restriction inapplicable to National Intelligence Program funds). At the time of the FY2027 budget submission, the Secretary of Defense must submit to the congressional defense committees (1) a report detailing the use of RDT&E funds for such end-items, including for each a list of applicable statutory authorities, and (2) a certification that the FY2027 RDT&E funding requests comply with the section; the Secretary may waive the restrictions on a case-by-case basis by certifying in writing to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittees that doing so is in the national security interest.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated by this or other Department of Defense Appropriations Acts for repairs or maintenance to military family housing units, including areas used for official Department of Defense business.

This section prohibits obligation of funds appropriated under Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-Wide for any new start demonstration project valued over $5 million in the Defense Innovation Acceleration (PE 0603838D8Z) or Rapid Prototyping Program (PE 0604331D8Z) until 15 days after the congressional defense committees receive a written report describing the project, its planned acquisition and transition strategy, and estimated annual and total costs. The Secretary of Defense may waive this restriction on a case-by-case basis by certifying to the committees that doing so is in the national interest.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to continue providing a classified quarterly report to the Subcommittees on Defense of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on matters specified in the classified annex accompanying this Act.

This section authorizes members of the National Guard serving on full-time National Guard duty under 32 U.S.C. §502(f) (i.e., for operational missions such as homeland defense) to perform duties in support of the ground-based elements of the National Ballistic Missile Defense System, notwithstanding the restrictions of 10 U.S.C. §12310(b).

This section prohibits the use of funds provided by this Act to transfer to any nongovernmental entity Department of Defense-held ammunition consisting of center-fire cartridges with a U.S. military nomenclature designation of armor penetrator, armor piercing (AP), armor piercing incendiary (API), armor-piercing incendiary tracer (API-T), general purpose (GP), special purpose (SP) except 9mm, or enhanced performance round (EPR). The prohibition does not apply to transfers to entities performing demilitarization services for the Department under contracts requiring the entity to demonstrate to the Department's satisfaction that such projectiles are either (1) rendered incapable of reuse by the demilitarization process or (2) used to manufacture ammunition pursuant to a contract with the Department or for export under a State Department License for Permanent Export of Unclassified Military Articles.

This section authorizes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, or a designee, to waive all or part of the consideration otherwise required under 10 U.S.C. §2667 for leases of personal property for up to one year to organizations specified in 32 U.S.C. §508(d) (i.e., youth and community organizations eligible for National Guard support programs) or other youth, social, or fraternal nonprofit organizations approved on a case-by-case basis. (Thus, the National Guard may provide such property to these groups without charging fair market rent for short-term use.)

This section provides $218,015,597 from amounts appropriated under the heading "Operation and Maintenance, Army," available until expended, for projects authorized by this section. The Secretary of Defense is authorized to transfer such funds to other federal government activities and to enter into contracts for real property acquisition, construction, personal services, and operations related to such projects (with indemnification as necessary), provided projects comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws to the maximum extent consistent with national security.

This section prohibits using funds appropriated in this or any Act to implement changes to (1) the appropriations account structure for the National Intelligence Program (NIP) budget, including creation of a new appropriation or account; (2) presentation of the NIP budget request in unclassified P-1, R-1, and O-1 documents supporting the Department of Defense budget request; (3) the process for apportioning NIP appropriations to executing agencies; or (4) the process for allotting, obligating, and disbursing NIP appropriations. It permits mergers of programs or changes at or below the Expenditure Center level if consistent with these restrictions. The section further directs the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Defense to jointly study and develop proposals for alternative budget presentations and appropriation accounts—including a comprehensive counterintelligence risk assessment—and, upon completion, to obtain certifications from affected agencies that the proposals will not adversely affect counterintelligence and submit the proposals and certifications to the congressional defense and intelligence committees not later than 30 days after receiving all certifications.

This section appropriates $25 million to the Department of Defense for transfer to operation and maintenance, procurement, and research, development, test, and evaluation accounts to support efforts by the Commander, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM)—the unified combatant command responsible for U.S. military operations, exercises, and security cooperation across most of Africa—to expand cooperation, share operational information, advance interoperability, or improve capabilities of allies and partners in its area of responsibility. Funds may not be obligated or expended until 30 days after the Secretary of Defense submits an execution plan to the congressional defense committees; transfers require at least 15 days' prior notice to those committees; upon transfer, funds merge with and become available for the same purposes and time period as the receiving accounts; and this transfer authority supplements any other authorities in the Act.

This section authorizes the transfer of up to $11 million from each of the Operation and Maintenance appropriations for the Army, Navy, and Air Force (totaling up to $33 million) to the respective military department's central fund for Fisher Houses and Suites during the current fiscal year. (Fisher Houses provide temporary lodging for families of service members and retirees receiving medical treatment at major military medical facilities, as authorized by 10 U.S.C. §2493(d).)

This section appropriates $5 million to the Department of Defense, to remain available until expended, for a grant to the Fisher House Foundation, Inc., for construction and furnishing additional Fisher Houses to support families of eligible military beneficiaries during illness or hospitalization. (Fisher Houses provide temporary lodging near DOD medical treatment facilities.) Funds are available only upon the Secretary of Defense's determination that the grant serves the national interest.

This section makes up to $1 million of appropriations for Operation and Maintenance, Navy, available for transfer to the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Development Trust Fund. (The center trains state legislators and local elected officials in public service and leadership.)

This section prohibits the obligation of Department of Defense funds to modify command and control relationships to give Fleet Forces Command operational and administrative control of U.S. Navy forces assigned to the Pacific Fleet. It requires that relationships existing on October 1, 2004, remain in force until a proposed written modification is submitted to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, which may be implemented 30 days thereafter unless objected to by either committee, provided the modification does not impair the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander's ability to meet operational requirements.

This section requires notices submitted to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations under section 3601 of title 10, United States Code—as added by section 804(a) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023—to be submitted concurrently to the Subcommittees on Defense of those committees.

This section designates $500 million from amounts appropriated under Procurement, Defense-Wide and Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-Wide accounts for Israeli Cooperative Programs, allocated as follows: (1) $60 million for the Secretary of Defense to provide to Israel for Iron Dome procurement to counter short-range rocket threats, subject to the U.S.-Israel Iron Dome Procurement Agreement, as amended; (2) $127 million for the Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense (SRBMD) program, including cruise missile defense research and development; (3) $40 million for co-production activities of SRBMD systems in the United States and Israel, subject to the U.S.-Israeli co-production agreement for SRBMD, as amended; (4) $100 million for an upper-tier component to the Israeli Missile Defense Architecture, all for co-production activities of Arrow 3 Upper Tier systems in the United States and Israel, subject to the U.S.-Israeli co-production agreement for Arrow 3 Upper Tier, as amended; and (5) $173 million for the Arrow System Improvement Program, including development of a long-range, ground- and airborne-based detection suite.

This section designates $1,676,587,000 from amounts appropriated under the heading “Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy” as available until September 30, 2026, for prior-year shipbuilding cost increases in the following programs: (1) 2013/2026 Carrier Replacement Program, $150,000,000; (2) 2016/2026 Virginia Class Submarine Program, $121,538,000; (3) 2016/2026 DDG 51 Program, $14,892,000; (4) 2017/2026 Virginia Class Submarine Program, $99,116,000; (5) 2017/2026 DDG 51 Program, $62,365,000; (6) 2017/2026 LHA Replacement Program, $93,603,000; (7) 2018/2026 Virginia Class Submarine Program, $289,761,000; (8) 2018/2026 DDG 51 Program, $104,238,000; (9) 2018/2026 LPD Flight II Program, $93,442,000; (10) 2018/2026 Oceanographic Ships Program, $6,015,000; (11) 2019/2026 Littoral Combat Ship Program, $5,766,000; (12) 2019/2026 T–AO Fleet Oiler Program, $15,400,000; (13) 2019/2026 Ship to Shore Connector Program, $15,480,000; (14) 2020/2026 CVN Refueling Overhauls, $483,100,000; (15) 2020/2026 T–AO Fleet Oiler Program, $48,260,000; (16) 2022/2026 T–AO Fleet Oiler Program, $19,650,000; (17) 2022/2026 Expeditionary Sea Base Program, $30,000,000; (18) 2022/2026 Expeditionary Fast Transport Program, $11,231,000; (19) 2023/2026 T–AO Fleet Oiler Program, $6,530,000; and (20) 2024/2026 T–AO Fleet Oiler Program, $6,200,000.

This section deems funds appropriated or made available by transfer in this Act for intelligence activities and intelligence-related activities not otherwise authorized in the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 to be specifically authorized by Congress for purposes of section 504 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094).

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds provided in this Act through reprogramming to create or initiate a new program, project, or activity unless it must be undertaken immediately in the interest of national security and after written prior notification to the congressional defense committees.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer up to $40 million from any available Department of the Navy appropriation (except military construction) to any available Navy ship construction appropriation to liquidate necessary changes resulting from inflation, market fluctuations, or rate adjustments for ship construction programs appropriated in law. Transfers require 30 days' prior notice to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees (unless a response is received sooner), retain the original funds' period of availability, are in addition to other transfer authorities in this Act, and this authority expires on September 30, 2030.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to reduce or disestablish operations of the Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (i.e., the "Hurricane Hunters") if such action would reduce the WC-130 weather reconnaissance mission below levels funded in this Act. This section also requires the Air Force to allow the squadron to perform other missions in support of national defense requirements during the non-hurricane season.

This section prohibits the use of funds provided in this Act for integration of foreign intelligence information unless the information has been lawfully collected and processed during authorized foreign intelligence activities and, for information pertaining to U.S. persons, handled in accordance with Fourth Amendment protections as implemented through Executive Order No. 12333.

This section limits the availability for obligation of funds appropriated by this Act for Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) programs to the current fiscal year, except for research and technology funds, which remain available until September 30, 2027.

This section deems any subdivision of appropriations under the “Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy” heading in this Act to be for the same purpose as such subdivisions in prior fiscal years for purposes of reprogramming limitations under 31 U.S.C. 1553(b), with the 1% limitation applying to the total amount appropriated under that heading.

This section directs the Director of National Intelligence, not later than 60 days after enactment, to submit to the congressional intelligence committees a report establishing the baseline for reprogramming and transfer authorities for FY2026, including for each appropriation a table displaying the President's budget request, congressional adjustments, enacted rescission adjustments (if applicable), and the FY2026 enacted level—delineated by Expenditure Center and project—and identifying items of special congressional interest. No funds provided for the National Intelligence Program may be reprogrammed or transferred until the report is submitted, unless the Director certifies in writing to the committees that such action is necessary as an emergency requirement.

This section subjects transfers of FY2026 appropriations from the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account to military departments or Defense Agencies—authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 1705(e)(1)—to the general transfer authority and limitations in sec. 8005 of this Act. (As background, the account funds training, recruitment, and retention for the DoD civilian acquisition workforce.)

This section prohibits reprogramming or transferring National Intelligence Program (NIP) funds that (1) creates a new start effort; (2) terminates a program with appropriated funding of $10 million or more; (3) transfers funding into or out of the NIP; or (4) transfers funding between appropriations unless the congressional intelligence committees are notified 30 days in advance (period may be reduced for urgent national security requirements). It further prohibits NIP reprogrammings that result in a cumulative increase or decrease of funding levels specified in the classified annex accompanying the Act without the same 30-day advance notice to the congressional intelligence committees.

This section requires agencies receiving funds under this Act to post on their public websites any report required to be submitted to Congress by this or any other Act, if the agency head determines posting serves the national interest. It exempts such reports if public posting would compromise national security or contain proprietary information and requires the agency to provide the report to the requesting congressional committees for at least 45 days prior to posting.

This section prohibits using funds appropriated by this Act for any federal contract exceeding $1,000,000 unless the contractor agrees not to (1) enter into any agreement requiring employees or independent contractors to arbitrate claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (i.e., employment discrimination claims) or tort claims related to sexual assault or harassment (i.e., assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention); or (2) enforce any existing such agreement. The prohibition extends to covered subcontractors (i.e., those with subcontracts exceeding $1,000,000), which must certify compliance. The restrictions do not apply to unenforceable agreements, and the Secretary of Defense (or Deputy Secretary) may waive them for national security reasons with a detailed determination transmitted to Congress and publicly released at least 15 business days before contract award.

This section makes available up to $165 million from funds appropriated for operation and maintenance, Defense Health Program, for transfer to the Joint Department of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund (established by section 1704 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010) to support operations of the integrated Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (i.e., the North Chicago VA Medical Center, Navy Ambulatory Care Center, and supporting facilities designated as a combined federal medical facility under section 706 of P.L. 110-417). It further authorizes additional transfers from such funds upon written notification by the Secretary of Defense to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

This section authorizes the use of Department of Defense appropriations for the purchase of passenger carrying vehicles notwithstanding applicable price or other limitations, as follows: (1) heavy and light armored vehicles for the physical security of personnel or force protection purposes, up to $450,000 per vehicle; and (2) passenger motor vehicles up to $75,000 per vehicle for use by military and civilian Department of Defense employees in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

This section authorizes the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), upon determining such action necessary and in the national interest and with the approval of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to transfer up to $1.5 billion of funds made available in this Act for the National Intelligence Program for higher priority items based on unforeseen intelligence requirements, provided the transfer is not for an item denied by Congress. The section further requires a request for multiple reprogrammings under this authority prior to June 30, 2026.

This section provides $290 million from the Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy appropriation, to remain available until September 30, 2030, for the purchase of two used sealift vessels for the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF). (The NDRF, maintained by the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation, holds ships for national defense surge sealift.) The funds may reimburse the Ready Reserve Force account of the Maritime Administration for related programs, projects, activities, and expenses and, notwithstanding 10 U.S.C. 2218, may not be transferred to the National Defense Sealift Fund.

This section prohibits the National Security Agency from using funds appropriated by this Act to (1) conduct acquisitions under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA)—which authorizes warrantless collection of foreign communications for national security purposes—for the purpose of targeting a United States person; or (2) acquire, monitor, or store the contents of any electronic communication of a United States person from a provider of electronic communication services to the public under Section 501 of FISA—which authorizes Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court orders for such surveillance.

This section prohibits using funds provided by this Act to pay the salary of any officer or employee of an agency funded by this Act who approves or implements the transfer of administrative responsibilities or budgetary resources of any program, project, or activity funded by this Act to another federal agency not funded by this Act, absent express congressional authorization. The prohibition does not apply to transfers expressly authorized in Department of Defense Appropriations Acts or supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense.

This section provides $785,052,000 from amounts appropriated for Operation and Maintenance, Navy—to remain available until expended—for purposes related to the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF), a government-owned fleet of ships maintained by the Maritime Administration for national defense and emergencies. Such amounts are available for reimbursements to the Ready Reserve Force account of the Maritime Administration in the Department of Transportation for NDRF-related programs, projects, activities, and expenses.

This section prohibits the use of funds provided in this Act for the TAO Fleet Oiler program to award new contracts for auxiliary equipment (including pumps) for shipboard services, propulsion equipment (including engines, reduction gears, and propellers), shipboard cranes, spreaders for shipboard cranes, and anchor chains for the seventh and subsequent ships unless those components are manufactured in the United States. It further prohibits such use for the Frigate program for air circuit breakers, gyrocompasses, electronic navigation chart systems, steering controls, pumps, propulsion and machinery control systems, totally enclosed lifeboats, auxiliary equipment pumps, shipboard cranes, auxiliary chill water systems, and propulsion propellers unless manufactured in the United States and directs the Secretary of the Navy to incorporate U.S.-manufactured propulsion engines and propulsion reduction gears beginning not later than with the eleventh ship.

This section prohibits the use of appropriated funds for requirements development, performance specification development, concept design and development, ship configuration development, systems engineering, naval architecture, marine engineering, operations research analysis, industry studies, preliminary design, development of the Detailed Design and Construction Request for Proposals solicitation package, or related activities for the T-ARC(X) Cable Laying and Repair Ship or the T-AGOS(X) Oceanographic Surveillance Ship unless new contracts for such activities specify that all auxiliary equipment, including pumps and propulsion shafts, is manufactured in the United States.

This section prohibits the transfer of funds from the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Account—used to develop and train DoD acquisition personnel—to (1) the Rapid Prototyping Fund established under section 804(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 or (2) military-department specific funds established under section 804(d)(2) of that Act.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for Government Travel Charge Card expenses by Department of Defense military or civilian personnel for gaming or entertainment that includes topless or nude entertainers or participants, as prohibited by Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation, volume 9, chapter 3, and DoD Instruction 1015.10 (enclosures 3, 14a, and 14b).

This section prohibits using funds provided by this Act to maintain or establish a computer network unless the network is designed to block access to pornography websites. It exempts funds necessary for federal, state, tribal, or local law enforcement agencies or other entities carrying out criminal investigations, prosecutions, adjudications, or national defense activities, including intelligence activities.

This section prohibits the Secretary of Defense from obligating or expending funds to provide motorized vehicles, aviation platforms, munitions other than small arms and munitions appropriate for customary ceremonial honors, operational military units, or operational military platforms if the Secretary determines that doing so would undermine the readiness of such units, platforms, or equipment.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this or any other Act to enter into contracts, memoranda of understanding, cooperative agreements, grants, loans, or loan guarantees with any corporation that has an unpaid assessed federal tax liability—for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or lapsed and that is not being paid in a timely manner under an agreement with the taxing authority—if the applicable federal agency is aware of the liability. The prohibition does not apply if the agency has considered suspending or debarment the corporation and determines such action is not necessary to protect federal interests.

This section authorizes amounts appropriated under title IV for research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) in budget activity eight—as detailed in the explanatory statement for this Act—to be used for agile RDT&E, procurement, production, modification, and operation and maintenance expenses only for eight specified Software and Digital Technology Pilot programs: (1) Defensive CYBER—Software Prototype Development (PE 0608041A); (2) Risk Management Information (PE 0608013N); (3) Maritime Tactical Command and Control (PE 0608231N); (4) Space Domain Awareness/Planning/Tasking SW (PE 1208248SF); (5) Global Command and Control System (PE 0303150K); (6) Acquisition Visibility (PE 0608648D8Z); (7) Enterprise Platforms and Capabilities—Software Pilot Program (PE 0608140D8Z); and (8) Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) (PE 0000000D8Z). The section further prohibits obligating or expending funds appropriated by this or prior Department of Defense Appropriations Acts to initiate additional Software and Digital Technology Pilot Programs in FY2026.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to transfer the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)—the Department of Defense agency responsible for developing, acquiring, launching, and operating the nation's intelligence satellites—to the U.S. Space Force. It clarifies that nothing in this Act limits or prohibits cooperation, collaboration, and coordination between the NRO and the Space Force or other Department of Defense elements.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act in contravention of laws and regulations implementing the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, specifically: (1) 18 U.S.C. 2340A (criminalizing torture); (2) section 2242 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (8 U.S.C. 1231 note) and related regulations under 8 C.F.R. pt. 208 and 22 C.F.R. pt. 95 (generally prohibiting return of aliens to countries where they more likely than not would be tortured); and (3) sections 1002 and 1003 of P.L. 109-148 (restricting Department of Defense intelligence activities involving detention and interrogation).

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense, in this fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, to accept and retain contributions—including money, personal property, and services—from foreign governments and other entities to carry out assistance authorized by section 1250 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (P.L. 114-92). (As background: Section 1250 authorizes assistance, including defense articles, training, and equipment, to vetted elements of the moderate Syrian opposition (sec. 1250(a)(1)(A)) and other vetted Syrian groups and individuals (sec. 1250(a)(1)(B)).) Such contributions are available to the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to provide that assistance; to replace weapons or articles provided to entities described in sec. 1250(a)(1)(A) and (B) from U.S. inventory; and to recover or dispose of equipment previously provided to such entities. (Thus, contributions effectively enable the provision of additional U.S. defense articles without drawing solely from existing inventories.) The section requires the Secretary of Defense to (1) consult with the congressional defense committees in advance of providing support to forces or groups described in sec. 1250(a)(1)(B); (2) notify those committees in writing upon receipt and obligation of contributions, delineating sources, amounts, and specific uses, with obligation notifications specifying estimated delivery timelines for defense articles and services and identifying any requiring enhanced end-use monitoring; (3) credit monetary contributions to the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide account, to remain available for the following two fiscal years; and (4) submit quarterly reports to the committees on the use and status of such funds.

This section authorizes the Department of Defense to incur obligations of not more than $350 million during the current fiscal year for purposes specified in 10 U.S.C. 2350j(c)—logistical support provided by foreign countries to U.S. armed forces deployed outside the United States (e.g., transportation, supplies, and billeting)—in anticipation of contributions solely from the government of Kuwait. Such contributions, upon receipt, are credited to the appropriations or funds that incurred the obligations.

This section provides $1,499,808,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027, from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency for International Security Cooperation Programs and other programs supporting foreign security forces or groups in counterterrorism, crisis response, or building partner capacity activities. The section requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees in writing at least 15 days prior to obligating such funds and to submit quarterly reports on their use and status to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

This section provides $267,298,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027, from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency for support authorized by subparagraphs (A) through (E) and (G) through (I) of section 1226(a)(1) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note)—which authorize training, equipping, supplies, and services for partner security forces in specified countries and regions (e.g., Ukraine, Georgia, Iraq, and others)—of which not less than $150,000,000 is for Jordan. The section also requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees at least 15 days prior to any obligation of these funds and to submit quarterly reports to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate on their use and status.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for excess defense articles, assistance under 10 U.S.C. §333 (i.e., building the capacity of foreign security forces), or peacekeeping operations for countries annually designated under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 (CSPA) from supporting any military training or operation that includes child soldiers, as defined by the CSPA, unless such assistance is permitted under CSPA section 404 (i.e., national interest waiver authority). (Thus, the restriction reinforces CSPA prohibitions on assistance to governments that recruit or use child soldiers in armed conflict.)

This section requires that transfers of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for support to friendly foreign countries in connection with operations in which the United States is not participating, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 331(d), comply with the general reprogramming provisions of section 8005 of this Act, notwithstanding any other provision of law.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense (DoD) from using appropriated funds to enter into contracts, memoranda of understanding, cooperative agreements, grants, loans, or loan guarantees with Rosoboronexport (i.e., Russia's state arms exporter) or its subsidiaries. The Secretary of Defense may waive this prohibition, in consultation with the Secretary of State and Director of National Intelligence, upon determining it is vital to U.S. national security interests and certifying to the congressional defense committees that (1) Rosoboronexport has ceased transferring lethal military equipment to, or maintaining existing such equipment for, the Syrian Arab Republic government; (2) Russian armed forces have withdrawn from Ukraine; and (3) Russian agents have ceased active measures to destabilize Ukrainian government control over eastern Ukraine. The DoD Inspector General must review any waived action involving Rosoboronexport and submit a report on results to the congressional defense committees within 90 days of the waiver.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees in writing within 30 days after receiving any funds contributed by a foreign government for purposes relating to the stationing or operations of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the amount, purpose, and authority under which the contribution was accepted. It further requires the Secretary to notify the committees at least 15 days prior to obligating such funds, specifying the planned use and whether the contributions would support existing or new stationing or operations.

This section requires the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments and the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, to submit to the congressional defense committees—not later than 30 days after the last day of each fiscal quarter—a report on the use of operation and maintenance funds for activities or exercises exceeding $5,000,000 designated by the Secretary of Defense as unplanned for FY2026. Each report must include (1) the title, date, and location of each such activity or exercise; (2) identification of the participating military department and units (including an estimate of participants); (3) total cost by budget line item (with breakdown by cost elements such as transportation); and (4) a short explanation of the objective. The reports are submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense, within 45 days of enactment, to allocate FY2026 funds from the CHIPS for America Defense Fund—pursuant to transfer authority in section 102(b)(1) of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-167)—to the accounts, amounts, projects, and activities specified in the table titled “Department of Defense Allocation of Funds: CHIPS and Science Act Fiscal Year 2026” in the report accompanying this Act. (As background, the fund supports DoD semiconductor and microelectronics programs for national security.) It further (1) prohibits the President or designee from allocating funds under section 102(b)(2) of the CHIPS Act during any partial-year DoD appropriations act or continuing resolution, except for continuing administration of prior allocations in amounts no greater than specified in subsection (a); (2) authorizes reallocation of subsection (a) funds, subject to provisos in section 8005 of this Act, solely for requirements under section 9903(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (P.L. 116-283); (3) requires proposed FY2027 allocations under section 102(b)(2), by account and program/project/activity with justifications, concurrent with the President's budget submission; and (4) mandates quarterly reports to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the status of balances (uncommitted, committed, and unobligated) for subsection (a) allocations.

This section requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees in writing, not later than 15 days after the opening or closing of any foreign base involving the stationing or operations of U.S. Armed Forces—including temporary bases, permanent bases, or bases owned and operated by a foreign country. The notification must include information on associated personnel changes, costs, and savings.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated by this or any other Act for (1) establishing any military installation or base in Iraq for the permanent stationing of U.S. Armed Forces or (2) exercising U.S. control over any oil resource of Iraq or Syria.

This section authorizes up to $500 million of funds appropriated by this Act under the heading “Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide” for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to support the armed forces of Jordan.

This section reduces appropriations provided in title II of this Act by $1,050,000,000 from Department of Defense operation and maintenance accounts to reflect excess cash balances in DoD Working Capital Funds (i.e., revolving funds that finance services such as depot maintenance and supply management), specifically: (1) $100,000,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Army; (2) $450,000,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Navy; and (3) $500,000,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Air Force.

This section designates $47 million from funds appropriated under the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide heading for continued implementation and expansion of the Sexual Assault Special Victims’ Counsel Program (SVCP)—which provides independent legal counsel to adult military sexual assault victims. The section authorizes transfer of these funds to the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, where they merge with and become available for the same purposes and time period as the recipient appropriations; such transfer authority supplements any other provided in the Act.

This section modifies Department of Defense policy on assisted reproductive services for Category II or III (i.e., seriously or severely ill or injured) active duty service members by eliminating limitations on the duration of embryo cryopreservation and storage previously specified in parts III(G) and IV(H) of the April 3, 2012, memorandum issued by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. (As background, the policy provides such services, including in vitro fertilization, to preserve fertility for service members facing treatments that may cause infertility.)

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to obligate funds made available by this Act for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter procurement or research, development, test, and evaluation to modify not fewer than nine F-35 aircraft—including at least three aircraft of each variant—for any test configuration. The Secretary must notify the congressional defense committees at least 30 days prior to obligating such funds, with concurrence from the Secretaries of the Air Force and Navy, and any related fund transfers must comply with the general transfer authority in section 8005 of this Act.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to use up to $650,000,000 of appropriated funds for rapid acquisition and deployment of supplies and associated support services under 10 U.S.C. §3601 (i.e., authority for urgent battlefield exigencies such as responding to significant and imminent threats). The authority applies only to purposes specified in clauses (i) through (iv) of §3601(c)(3)(B), subject to applicable limits therein and new sub-limits of $50,000,000 for clause (iv) and $100,000,000 for purposes specified in section 229 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (P.L. 118-31), with prompt notification to the congressional defense committees.

This section authorizes funds appropriated under the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide heading for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Fielding project (line 301, budget activity 8, as detailed in the explanatory statement tables)—notwithstanding the limitations of section 8056 of this Act—for agile research, development, test and evaluation; procurement; production; modification; operation and maintenance; and initial acquisition of end-items for operational use. Requires the Secretary of Defense to provide the congressional defense committees with a detailed execution plan for such funds at least 15 days prior to any obligation or expenditure.

This section prohibits the use of funds provided by this Act to fund any work performed by EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. in China on research supported by the government of China. The prohibition does not apply if the Secretary of Defense determines that a waiver is in the national security interests of the United States and, within 14 days, notifies the congressional defense committees with a detailed justification including (1) the DOD entity obligating or expending the funds, (2) the amount of funds, (3) the intended purpose, (4) the recipient, (5) how the waiver serves national security interests, and (6) any other relevant information.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this or any other Act to transfer, release, or assist in the transfer or release to or within the United States, its territories, or possessions, of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or other detainees who (1) are not U.S. citizens or members of the U.S. Armed Forces and (2) were held on or after June 24, 2009, at U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the Department of Defense.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to transfer any individual detained at U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the individual's country of origin, any other foreign country, or any other foreign entity unless the transfer complies with certification requirements in §1034 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (P.L. 114-92) and §1035 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (P.L. 115-232). (Thus, transfers require certifications that the individual poses no security risk, that the receiving country has taken steps to substantially mitigate such risk, and related reporting to Congress.)

This section prohibits the use of appropriated funds to construct, acquire, or modify any facility in the United States, its territories, or possessions to house, for purposes of detention or imprisonment, any individual who as of June 24, 2009, was located at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is not a U.S. citizen or member of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is in Department of Defense custody or effective control or otherwise detained at Guantanamo Bay. The prohibition does not apply to modifications of facilities at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Thus, the provision restricts the domestic transfer and housing of legacy Guantanamo Bay detainees.)

This section appropriates $97,770,000, to remain available until expended, to the Department of Defense Credit Program Account established under 10 U.S.C. 149(e)(5) for a pilot program providing capital assistance (i.e., loans and loan guarantees) to support defense investment in the industrial base under 10 U.S.C. 149(e). Of this amount, up to $2,500,000 may be used for administrative expenses and project-specific transaction costs, and the funds are available to subsidize gross obligations for the principal amount of loans and total loan principal (any part of which is guaranteed) not to exceed $4,390,000,000, with costs defined under section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

This section reduces appropriations in title II of the Act by $1,204,617,000 to reflect savings from efficiencies, streamlining of functions, and management improvements in the Department of Defense, allocated as follows: (1) $563,288,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Army; (2) $109,159,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Navy; (3) $9,467,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps; (4) $319,765,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Air Force; (5) $6,493,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Space Force; and (6) $196,445,000 from Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide. Such reductions may not be derived from amounts appropriated for the National Intelligence Program or Military Intelligence Program.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense, concurrent with the President's annual budget submission beginning for FY2027, to submit to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees specified documents on amounts made available by P.L. 119-21 until fully expended: (1) proposed allocations by account, fiscal year, and program, project, or activity, with detailed justifications; (2) P–1 and R–1 budget justification documents identifying allocations by program, project, and activity; and (3) M–1 and O–1 budget justification documents identifying allocations by budget activity, activity group, and sub-activity group. The section further requires quarterly reports thereafter to those committees on the status of funded projects and activities, including uncommitted, committed, and unobligated balances, until all such amounts are expended.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to obligate funds available under the "Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy" heading—including from this or any other Act, including prior-year Acts—for the Next Generation Fighter program to execute its engineering and manufacturing development contract in a manner achieving accelerated initial operational capability. The section further prohibits using any Department of Defense funds from this or any prior fiscal year to pause, cancel, or terminate the program.

This section establishes a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) Pilot Program using not less than $80 million from Operation and Maintenance, Navy funds to validate Navy requirements for at-sea and in-shore logistics operations. The program requires evaluating time charter options for no fewer than six, and entering contracts for no fewer than two, existing U.S.-built and U.S.-owned PSVs configured for Indo-Pacific support (i.e., capable of transporting nearly 500,000 gallons of fuel and providing up to 10,000 square feet of deck space for military equipment and personnel deliverable via shallow-draft ports). The Secretary of the Navy must brief the House and Senate Appropriations Committees within 180 days of enactment on the program's status and effectiveness.

This section prohibits the reprogramming or transfer of funds appropriated for the UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft program under Aircraft Procurement, Army and Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Army accounts in this Act or prior Acts, limiting such funds solely to their original appropriated purposes. The section further bars the Department of Defense from using any funds appropriated for the current or any prior fiscal year to pause, cancel, terminate, or prepare to pause, cancel, or terminate the UH-60 Blackhawk program.

This section restricts funds appropriated for the E–7 Wedgetail aircraft program (i.e., an airborne early warning and control aircraft) under the headings “Aircraft Procurement, Air Force” and “Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force”—including from prior-year acts—to the purposes for which they were provided, prohibiting their reprogramming or transfer for other uses. The section further prohibits the Department of Defense from using any funds available for the current or any prior fiscal year to pause, cancel, terminate, or prepare to pause, cancel, or terminate the program.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to close four specified Army museums: (1) the Rock Island Arsenal Museum in Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; (2) the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum in Lawton, Oklahoma; (3) the United States Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia; and (4) the General George Patton Museum of Leadership at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

This section provides $1 billion, to remain available until September 30, 2027, from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The funds are available to the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to provide assistance to Taiwan, including procurement of defense articles, services, and military education and training. Equipment procured using these funds but not yet transferred to Taiwan (or returned by Taiwan) may be treated as Department of Defense stocks upon written notification to the congressional defense committees; the Secretary of Defense must notify those committees at least 15 days prior to any obligation of funds and provide quarterly reports on the funds' use and status.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to reimburse the Federated States of Micronesia up to $34 million for land acquisition costs for defense sites in Yap from funds appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Air Force.

This section reduces the total amount appropriated in title II of this Act by $550 million to reflect savings due to favorable bulk fuel rates, provided that such reduction may not be derived from amounts appropriated for the National Intelligence Program or Military Intelligence Program.

This section requires the Department of Defense, in making federal financial assistance, to continue applying negotiated indirect cost rates under 2 CFR 200.414—including with respect to deviations—to the same extent and in the same manner as in FY2024. It further prohibits use of funds appropriated in this or prior DoD appropriations acts, or otherwise made available to DoD, to develop, modify, or implement changes to those FY2024 rates. (Thus, DoD cannot update indirect cost rates—used by grant recipients such as universities and nonprofits to recover overhead expenses—beyond FY2024 levels.)

This section provides $150 million, to remain available until September 30, 2027, from appropriations under the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide heading for replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to or identified for provision to Taiwan. Such funds may be transferred to appropriations available under titles II, III, IV, and V of the Act for replacement, through new procurement or repair of existing unserviceable equipment, of defense articles from Department of Defense (DOD) stocks, and for reimbursement of DOD defense services, military education, and training provided to Taiwan or to foreign countries that have provided support to Taiwan at the request of the United States. (Thus, the provision enables DOD to replenish stocks and reimburse services provided to Taiwan or its supporters.) Transferred funds merge with and become available for the same purposes and time period as the receiving appropriations; the Secretary of Defense must notify the congressional defense committees at least 15 days before any transfer; excess transferred funds may be transferred back to this appropriation; and this transfer authority is in addition to any other transfer authority in the Act.

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using funds appropriated for this fiscal year or any prior fiscal year to award sole-source or non-competitive contracts exceeding $100 million for space-based airborne moving target indication systems (i.e., satellite-based sensors that detect and track moving objects).

This section prohibits the Department of Defense from using funds appropriated for the current fiscal year or any prior fiscal year to pause, cancel, or terminate the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Geosynchronous Earth Orbit and Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar programs. (These satellite programs provide continuous missile warning, detection, and tracking capabilities from geosynchronous and polar orbits, respectively.)

This section limits authority under 10 U.S.C. §2808a for transactions or follow-on transactions involving repair and construction projects to those otherwise authorized by law using military construction, operation and maintenance, or research, development, test, and evaluation funds. The section prohibits transfers pursuant to such authority of funds appropriated by this Act or prior acts, title I of division D of P.L. 119-37, prior Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations acts, or funds made available to the Department of Defense in P.L. 119-21.

This section reduces appropriations provided in title IV of this Act by $1 billion across specified Department of Defense research, development, test,and evaluation (RDT&E) accounts due to the expiration of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program authorizations under 15 U.S.C. 638 (which requires agencies with extramural R&D budgets exceeding $100 million to allocate specified percentages—currently 3.2% for SBIR and 0.45% for STTR—to competitive awards for small businesses). The reductions are as follows: (1) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army, by $140 million; (2) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy, by $157 million; (3) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force, by $325 million; (4) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Space Force, by $140 million; and (5) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide, by $238 million. (The reductions do not apply to National Intelligence Program appropriations.) If 15 U.S.C. 638 is reauthorized for FY2026 after enactment of this section but before September 30, 2026, the Department of Defense's required expenditures under the program for the remainder of FY2026 are prorated based on its extramural budget (as defined in 15 U.S.C. 638(e)(1)) as of the reauthorization date.

This section provides $200,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027, from amounts appropriated under Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency for the International Security Cooperation Program—Baltic Security Initiative to support the foreign security forces of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in accordance with objectives identified in section 1247 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (Public Law 119–60). It requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the congressional defense committees in writing at least 15 days prior to obligating funds and to submit quarterly reports to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on the funds' use and status.

This section appropriates $500 million to the Department of Defense, in addition to amounts made available elsewhere in this Act, for the solid rocket motor industrial base. Of the total, not less than $150 million is available only for the qualification and testing of second source providers. Funds may be transferred to the procurement accounts of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Department of Defense, and the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation, Defense-Wide account, for (1) investment in modernization, expansion, or facilitization of the industrial base, including capital equipment, tooling, and facility upgrades; (2) workforce development, training, and retention; (3) supplier base expansion and qualification, including second- and third-tier vendors and non-traditional manufacturers; (4) process improvements, automation, and digital manufacturing; and (5) risk reduction and surge capacity initiatives to ensure reliable, affordable, and timely production of solid rocket motors and related energetics. (As background, solid rocket motors power critical defense systems such as intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.) The Secretary of Defense must provide (1) a briefing to the congressional defense committees within 60 days of enactment on planned activities, including competition considerations and industry input; (2) a detailed execution plan to the committees at least 30 days before any obligation or expenditure of funds; and (3) written notice to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate at least 15 days before any transfer. Transferred funds merge with and become available for the same purposes and time period as the receiving appropriation, may be transferred back if unneeded, and this transfer authority is in addition to any other in this Act.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for Job Corps from paying the salary and bonuses of any individual at a rate exceeding Executive Level II, either as direct costs or any proration as an indirect cost.

This section authorizes the transfer of up to 1 percent of discretionary funds appropriated for the Department of Labor for the current fiscal year between a program, project, or activity, with no such program, project, or activity increased by more than 3 percent. The section prohibits using such transfers to create new programs or to fund any project or activity for which no funds are provided in this Act and requires at least 15 days' advance notice to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.

This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for procuring goods mined, produced, manufactured, or harvested, or services rendered, in whole or in part, by forced or indentured child labor in industries and host countries identified by the Department of Labor prior to enactment, in accordance with Executive Order 13126.

This section restricts funds available to the Department of Labor for grants under section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998—which provide training for U.S. workers in occupations where employers use H-1B visas—to competitive grants for individuals older than 16 years of age who are not currently enrolled in school, in such occupations and industries, and related support activities.

This section prohibits recipients and subrecipients of funds appropriated under the Employment and Training Administration heading from using such funds to pay salaries and bonuses exceeding Executive Level II, either as direct or indirect costs. The prohibition does not apply to vendors providing goods and services as defined in OMB Circular A-133, and states receiving such funds may impose lower salary limits on subrecipients based on factors including cost-of-living, comparable state or local government compensation levels, and the size of organizations administering federal programs such as those under the Employment and Training Administration.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Labor, notwithstanding section 102, to (1) transfer funds made available to the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) for technical assistance services to grantees to Program Administration if determined to be more efficiently performed by federal employees (except for funds under sec. 171 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)); and (2) transfer up to 0.5% of each ETA discretionary appropriation to Program Administration for program integrity activities related to those programs, including up to 0.5% of funds in paragraphs (1) and (2) of the Office of Job Corps account to paragraph (3), with transferred funds available through September 30, 2027, directly or via grants, contracts, or other arrangements. (Thus, these transfers support administrative efficiency and oversight of ETA programs, including Job Corps, a residential job training program for at-risk youth ages 16-24.)

This section authorizes the Secretary of Labor to reserve up to 0.75% of appropriations from specified Department of Labor accounts—including Training and Employment Services, Job Corps, Community Service Employment for Older Americans, State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Wage and Hour Division, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Office of Labor Management Standards, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Office of Disability Employment Policy, Bureau of International Labor Affairs and Women's Bureau (within Departmental Management, Salaries and Expenses), and Veterans' Employment and Training—to fund program evaluations. Reserved funds must be transferred to Departmental Management for the Office of the Chief Evaluation Officer and remain available through September 30, 2027, provided the Chief Evaluation Officer submits an evaluation plan to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees at least 15 days prior to transfer.

This section establishes, effective on the date of enactment, a two-year exemption from overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act for employees of employers not engaged in underwriting, selling, or marketing property, casualty, or liability insurance (directly or through affiliates)—provided such employees adjust or evaluate claims resulting from a major disaster (i.e., declared by a state or federal agency), earn average weekly compensation of not less than $591 or a minimum set by the Secretary of Labor (whichever is greater), perform specified duties (e.g., interviewing insureds or witnesses, inspecting damage, evaluating claims, negotiating settlements), hold required licenses, and work for employers maintaining workers' compensation coverage (if required) and withholding applicable taxes. (The exemption does not affect the existing exemption for executive, administrative, or professional employees under FLSA Section 13(a)(1).)

This section authorizes seafood industry employers with approved H-2B petitions (i.e., for temporary non-agricultural workers) to bring approved nonimmigrants into the United States at any time during the 120-day period beginning on the requested start date without filing a new petition, provided that after 90 days the employer completes a new local labor market assessment by (1) listing job orders in local newspapers on two separate Sundays, (2) posting the job on the Department of Labor Electronic Job Registry and at the worksite, and (3) offering the job to any equally or more qualified U.S. worker who applies and is available at the time and place of need. This section directs the Secretary of Labor not to deem such employers in violation of rules prohibiting staggering of dates of need (e.g., 20 C.F.R. § 655.20(d)).

This section requires the prevailing wage for the H-2B nonimmigrant worker program (i.e., temporary non-agricultural employment) to be the greater of (1) the actual wage paid by the employer to other employees with similar experience and qualifications in the same location or (2) the prevailing wage for the occupational classification in the geographic area, based on the best information available at petition filing. It further requires the Secretary to accept private wage surveys for this purpose—even if Occupational Employment Statistics data are available—unless the survey's methodology and data lack statistical support.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to enforce, under the H-2B program for temporary nonagricultural workers, (1) the Department of Labor's definition of corresponding employment (i.e., employment by the same employer in the same occupation and geographic area as H-2B workers) in 20 CFR 655.5, or (2) the three-fourths guarantee rule (i.e., payment to H-2B workers of at least three-fourths of the work hours specified in the job order) in 20 CFR 655.20 or any references thereto. The section further requires that, for purposes of H-2B admissions, the definition of temporary need be that provided in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(ii)(B) (i.e., a one-time occurrence, a seasonal need, a peakload need, or an intermittent need).

This section authorizes the Secretary to furnish apprenticeship programs with up to $450,000 of excess personal property—valued as determined by the Secretary—for apprentice training through grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, or other arrangements, notwithstanding any other provision of law.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Labor to employ law enforcement officers or special agents to (1) protect the Secretary during the workday and related activities, (2) provide incidental protection to immediate family members during Secretary-related events, (3) provide continuous protection to the Secretary and family upon a unique and articulable threat, and (4) protect the Deputy Secretary or a senior officer representing the Secretary at public events upon such a threat, all per Secretary guidelines. Such officers may carry firearms, make warrantless arrests for federal offenses committed in their presence, conduct protective intelligence and advance security reviews, coordinate with local law enforcement, and initiate threat investigations with the Department of Labor Inspector General, in compliance with Attorney General and Secretary guidelines. The provision is effective on the date of enactment.

This section authorizes the Secretary to dispose of or divest, by any means including agreements or partnerships to construct new Job Corps centers, all or part of the real property of the Treasure Island Job Corps Center and the Gary Job Corps Center, exempting such dispositions from federal laws and regulations on real property disposition and procurement. (Job Corps is a Department of Labor program providing residential education, vocational training, and job placement to at-risk youth aged 16-24 from low-income families.) Net proceeds are transferred to the Secretary and remain available until expended for Job Corps programs on Treasure Island and in and around San Marcos, Texas, respectively.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to (1) alter or terminate the interagency agreement between the Department of Labor and Department of Agriculture; (2) close any Civilian Conservation Centers (i.e., Job Corps centers on federal conservation lands), except if necessary to protect student health and safety, program capacity is retained, and requirements of sec. 159(j) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) are met; or (3) close any Job Corps centers (i.e., residential training program for at-risk youth), except if the closure meets the "Long-Term Center Performance" or "Evaluation of Continuing Center Operations" criteria established at 81 Fed. Reg. 12529, program capacity is retained, and sec. 159(j) of WIOA is met.

This section permanently rescinds $206 million of unobligated funds available under INA §286(s)(2) (i.e., Immigration Examinations Fee Account, which funds U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hiring, training, and examination activities) not later than September 30, 2026.

This section prohibits using appropriated funds to pay the salary of any individual, through a grant or other extramural mechanism, at a rate exceeding Executive Level II. It further prohibits using such funds to prevent the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from paying up to 100 percent of an individual's salary at that rate.

This section prohibits the expenditure of appropriated funds pursuant to section 241 of the Public Health Service Act—which authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to transfer up to 1% of such funds between HHS accounts—except for funds specifically appropriated in this Act or for other taps and assessments by HHS offices, until the Secretary submits a report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees detailing the planned uses of such funds.

This section authorizes the Secretary to reserve, notwithstanding section 241(a) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), up to 2.5% of amounts appropriated for PHS Act programs for evaluation (directly or by grants or contracts) and assessments of the implementation and effectiveness of programs funded in this title.

This section authorizes the transfer of up to 1% of discretionary funds appropriated for HHS for the current fiscal year between appropriations, provided no appropriation is increased by more than 3% by any such transfer. The authority may not be used to create new programs or fund projects or activities not provided for in the Act, and the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations must be notified at least 15 days in advance of any transfer.

This section modifies the timeframe under section 338E(c)(2) of the Public Health Service Act for terminating National Health Service Corps scholarship contracts awarded in FY2026 under section 338B to permit such terminations up to 60 days after the contract's effective date (in lieu of the timeframe previously specified), or at any time if the individual has not received funds due under the contract. (As background, section 338B authorizes scholarships for health professions students who agree to serve in health professional shortage areas.)

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act for any entity under title X of the Public Health Service Act (Title X)—which provides grants for voluntary family planning services—unless the grant applicant certifies to the HHS Secretary that (1) it encourages family participation in the decision of minors to seek such services and (2) it provides counseling to minors on how to resist attempts to coerce them into engaging in sexual activities.

This section requires providers of services under Title X of the Public Health Service Act—i.e., the federal family planning program—to comply with state laws requiring notification or reporting of child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, or incest, notwithstanding any other provision of law.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the Medicare Advantage program (Part C of Medicare, under which private plans receive capitation payments to provide Medicare-covered benefits to enrollees) if the Secretary of Health and Human Services denies participation to an otherwise eligible entity—including a provider-sponsored organization—solely because the entity refuses to provide, pay for, cover, or refer for abortions. It requires the Secretary to make prospective adjustments to capitation payments for such entities based on actuarially sound estimates of expected abortion-related costs to enrollees and specifies that the provision does not alter Medicare coverage of such services, with affected Medicare Advantage organizations required to inform enrollees where to obtain information on all Medicare-covered services.

This section directs the Secretary to assign not more than 60 Public Health Service employees to assist in child survival activities and AIDS programs using funds provided by the Agency for International Development, UNICEF, or the World Health Organization.

This section authorizes the Secretary of HHS, for FY2026 international health activities (including HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, chronic and environmental diseases, and other health activities abroad), to (1) exercise authority equivalent to that of the Secretary of State under section 2(c) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, subject to consultation with the Secretary of State and relevant Chief of Mission to ensure consistency with the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and other State Department statutes; (2) provide funds by advance or reimbursement to the Secretary of State for acquisition, lease, alteration, renovation, and management of facilities outside the United States, and make funds available via grants or cooperative agreements to public or nonprofit private institutions or agencies in participating foreign countries for such facilities; and (3) provide personnel appointed or assigned abroad with allowances and benefits similar to those under chapter 9 of title I of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and 22 U.S.C. §§4081-4086, locality-based comparability payments up to District of Columbia levels under 5 U.S.C. §5304, and leaves of absence on the same basis as under 5 U.S.C. subchapter I of chapter 63 or section 903 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980.

This section authorizes the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), jointly with the Director of the Office of AIDS Research, to transfer up to 3% of total funding identified for HIV research among NIH institutes and centers, subject to at least 15 days' advance notice to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.

This section directs that, of the amounts appropriated for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the amount for HIV-related research—as jointly determined by the NIH Director and the Director of the Office of AIDS Research (OAR)—be made available to the OAR account. The section further requires the OAR Director to transfer from that account amounts necessary to carry out section 2353(d)(3) of the Public Health Service Act (i.e., transfers among NIH institutes and centers to implement the annual HIV/AIDS research plan).

This section authorizes the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to use funds authorized under section 402(b)(12) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act)—which supports high-risk, high-reward research and activities addressing critical unmet needs or emerging scientific opportunities—to enter into other transactions (i.e., agreements other than contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants), notwithstanding any other law. (Thus, NIH gains flexibility to fund innovative research outside standard procurement and grant processes.) The section permits the Director to use alternative peer review procedures determined appropriate by the Director, in lieu of standard peer review and advisory council requirements under specified PHS Act sections. The Director must notify the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations within 15 days for any such transaction expected to exceed $100 million.

This section authorizes not more than $100 million of funds appropriated by this Act to the institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health for alteration, repair, or improvement of facilities, as necessary for authorized activities, at not more than $5 million per project.

This section directs that, of amounts made available to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for National Research Service Awards (NRSA)—which support biomedical and behavioral research training—1% be made available to the Health Resources and Services Administration for NRSA awards in primary medical care research to individuals affiliated with entities receiving grants or contracts under sections 736, 739, or 747 of the Public Health Service Act (i.e., certain health professions training programs), and 1% be made available to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for NRSA awards in health services research.

This section authorizes the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to enter into multi-year contracts, for more than one but no more than 10 program years, for research services or security countermeasures (i.e., products or services to diagnose, treat, prevent, or mitigate harm from public health emergencies or threats, as defined in 42 U.S.C. 247d–6b(c)(1)(B)), if (1) funds are available and obligated for the full period (or first fiscal year) and estimated termination costs, and (2) the HHS Secretary determines a multi-year contract serves the federal government's best interests by encouraging competition or promoting economy in BARDA programs. Contracts entered into under this section must include a termination clause per 41 U.S.C. 3903(c) and are subject to the congressional notice requirement in 41 U.S.C. 3903(d).

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish, in the FY2027 budget justification and on departmental websites, information on full-time equivalent (FTE) federal employees and contractors implementing, administering, enforcing, or carrying out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its amendments for the proposed fiscal year and each fiscal year since the ACA's 2010 enactment. For employees and contractors supported by ACA-appropriated funds, the information must include, at a minimum: (1) for each fiscal year, the ACA section authorizing the funds, the program, project, or activity; the administering federal operating division or office; and the amount of discretionary or mandatory funding received; and (2) for each fiscal year, the number of FTE employees or contracted employees assigned to each such provision. The Secretary may exclude employees or contractors supported by non-ACA appropriations on pre-ACA programs, those spending less than 50% of their time on ACA-funded or newly authorized activities, or those on contracts (e.g., fixed-price) without FTE reporting requirements.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish, as part of the President's FY2027 budget submission, details on all uses by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of funds specifically for Health Insurance Exchanges—ACA-established online marketplaces where individuals and small businesses purchase health insurance—for each fiscal year since ACA enactment in 2010, as well as proposed uses for FY2027. The information must include, for each such fiscal year, amounts used for each activity specified under the “Health Insurance Exchange Transparency” heading in the explanatory statement described in section 4 of this Act (in the matter preceding division A).

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by this Act from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund or Federal Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Fund, or transferred to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services–Program Management account, for payments under the Affordable Care Act risk corridors program (i.e., section 1342(b)(1) of P.L. 111–148). (Thus, the provision bars specified Medicare funds from settling outstanding insurer claims under the temporary 2014–2016 program, which shared marketplace plan profits and losses to stabilize premiums.)

This section requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, within 45 days of enactment, to transfer funds from the Prevention and Public Health Fund—established by section 4002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to support prevention and public health activities—to the accounts, in the amounts, and for the activities specified under the heading “Prevention and Public Health Fund” in the explanatory statement described in section 4 of this Act. It prohibits further transfers of these amounts notwithstanding ACA section 4002(c). It also makes funds transferred for activities under section 2821 of the Public Health Service Act available without regard to the fiscal year limitation in section 2821(b).

This section requires the relevant Secretary to administer any provision of law (including cross-references) referring to current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) with respect to breast cancer screening, mammography, and prevention as if referring to the USPSTF recommendations last issued before 2009—from November 1, 2015, through January 1, 2028. (As background, the pre-2009 USPSTF recommendations supported screening mammography for women beginning at age 40, whereas the 2009 recommendations recommended against routine screening before age 50; thus, this provision effectively restores no-cost-sharing coverage for such screening for women ages 40-49 under Medicare and ACA plans.) Those pre-2009 recommendations apply to any screening mammography modality under SSA §1861(jj).

This section requires the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue applying the indirect cost provisions of 45 C.F.R. part 75—including with respect to approvals of deviations from negotiated rates—to federal financial assistance to the same extent and manner as in the third quarter of FY2017. (Thus, NIH may not modify those provisions or expand the fiscal effect of such deviations.) It prohibits the use of funds appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services or any department or agency to develop or implement a modified approach to those provisions or to intentionally or substantially expand the fiscal effect of such deviations beyond their proportional effect in that quarter.

This section authorizes the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transfer funds for opioid addiction, opioid alternatives, stimulant misuse and addiction, pain management, and addiction treatment to other NIH institutes and centers for the same purposes, 15 days after notifying the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. Such authority is in addition to any other transfer authority available to NIH by law.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations with (1) detailed monthly enrollment figures from health insurance Exchanges established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act pertaining to open enrollment periods and (2) notification of any new or competitive grant awards, including supplements, under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (i.e., for federally qualified health centers serving medically underserved populations). It requires those committees to receive at least two business days' advance notice prior to any public release of the enrollment information or grant awards.

This section authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to transfer up to $455 million from the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Program Management account, in addition to amounts otherwise available, for program management activities related to the Medicare program. Such transferred funds may not be used to support any provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), or any amendments made by either law, or to supplant other amounts in the account.

This section requires the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a biannual report to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations on staffing described in the explanatory statement referenced in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this Act), with the first report due 30 days after enactment.

This section authorizes funds appropriated for salaries and expenses of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees to also cover travel and related expenses for such an employee or a family member assigned to duty in the United States or a U.S. territory during a public health emergency declared under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, when necessary to obtain medical care unavailable locally. U.S. territory is defined as Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

This section authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to accept donations from the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and other non-federal groups for the care of unaccompanied alien children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Administration for Children and Families. (Thus, donations may include medical goods and services such as early childhood developmental screenings, school supplies, toys, clothing, and other items to promote the children's wellbeing.)

This section prohibits obligating funds appropriated under the Department of Health and Human Services—Administration for Children and Families—Refugee and Entrant Assistance heading to grantees or contractors to house unaccompanied alien children in non-State-licensed facilities, except on a temporary basis due to an influx of such children or an emergency, subject to specified conditions. Those conditions include, for any such facility operating more than six consecutive months, requirements that the relevant grant or contract ensure (1) compliance with applicable standards from Exhibit 1 of the Flores Settlement Agreement for licensed placements and staffing ratios of one on-duty Youth Care Worker per eight children during waking hours, one per 16 during sleeping hours, and clinician ratios as specified in grantee agreements; (2) up to four consecutive 60-day waivers for non-compliance if the Secretary certifies good-faith efforts and reports to Congress; (3) adherence by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to monitoring requirements in section 5.5 of its Policies and Procedures Guide (as of May 15, 2019), including one comprehensive monitoring visit in the first three months of operation for facilities open more than three months and quarterly visits thereafter; and (4) a briefing to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees within 60 days of enactment on ORR requirements for influx facilities, including any Flores standards deemed inapplicable to non-State-licensed facilities.

This section requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to notify the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations at least 15 days before operationalizing an unlicensed influx facility for unaccompanied alien children—in addition to existing notifications for site assessments—specifying (1) whether the facility is hard-sided or soft-sided and (2) analysis showing that, absent the facility, children would remain in Department of Homeland Security custody longer than 72 hours or face danger. Within 60 days of bringing the facility online, and monthly thereafter, the Secretary must report to the committees the total number of children in care, average length of stay and care, and—for children at the facility over 60 days—their length of stay and reason for delay in release.

This section prohibits the use of funds appropriated by the Act to prevent a U.S. Senator or House Member from entering, for oversight purposes, any U.S. facility housing unaccompanied alien children (as defined in 6 U.S.C. 279(g)(2)), provided the member coordinates the visit with the Office of Refugee Resettlement at least two business days in advance to avoid interfering with facility operations (including child welfare and safety). (As background, the Office of Refugee Resettlement within HHS is responsible for the care, custody, and placement of unaccompanied alien children apprehended at or near the border without a parent or legal guardian.)

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, and make publicly available online, an initial report not later than 14 days after enactment and monthly reports thereafter on children separated from parents or legal guardians by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), subsequently classified as unaccompanied alien children, and transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the previous month. Each report includes (1) the number and ages of such children separated subsequent to apprehension at or between ports of entry, reported by sector where separation occurred; and (2) the documented cause of separation, as reported by DHS when each child was referred.

This section makes funds appropriated for salaries and expenses of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees available for primary and secondary schooling of eligible dependents of CDC personnel stationed in a U.S. territory, at costs not exceeding those paid or reimbursed by the Department of Defense. It defines U.S. territory as Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

This section directs funds appropriated in this Act under 13 specified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headings—“Immunization and Respiratory Diseases,” “HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis Prevention,” “Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases,” “Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,” “Birth Defects, Developmental Disabilities, Disabilities and Health,” “Public Health Scientific Services,” “Environmental Health,” “Injury Prevention and Control,” “National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,” “Global Health,” “Public Health Preparedness and Response,” and “CDC-Wide Activities and Program Support”—to the budget activities and in the amounts specified in the table under each such heading in the explanatory statement described in section 4.

This section rescinds $1.826 billion of unobligated balances from the Nonrecurring Expenses Fund—established under division G of P.L. 110-161, §223, to fund Department of Homeland Security projects such as information technology improvements and facilities sustainment—not later than September 30, 2026. No amounts may be rescinded from those previously designated by Congress as emergency requirements pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

This section requires institutions receiving NIH extramural awards in FY2026 and subsequent years to complete investigations into harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions involving a principal investigator or key personnel, even if the individual leaves the institution during the investigation. It authorizes the NIH Director to (1) decline transfers of ongoing extramural awards to another institution if such concerns remain unresolved to NIH's satisfaction and (2) share investigation reports, conclusions, and results on an as-needed basis with other institutions receiving NIH extramural awards in FY2026 or later. The Director may issue implementing regulations.

This section requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support staffing levels necessary to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, including timely execution of programs, projects, and activities funded in this Act's title. It further requires the HHS Secretary to submit to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, and publicly release, a detailed plan and justification—at least 60 days prior to execution—for any reorganization transferring functions carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to another HHS component, if those functions are funded in this Act.

This section authorizes the obligation in fiscal year 2026 of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds appropriated for that year for more than one year of multiyear awards, not to exceed the amount of FY2025 NIH funds obligated in FY2025 for such purposes. A multiyear award includes grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other financial mechanisms.

This section prohibits the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from applying the critical access hospital (CAH) distance requirement under section 1820(c)(2)(B)(i)(I) of the Social Security Act—generally requiring a CAH to be at least 35 miles from another hospital (or 15 miles in certain terrain)—to any facility designated and certified as a CAH as of January 1, 2024, that receives a CMS noncompliance notification during the period from December 1, 2024, through January 1, 2026. The section further requires CMS to recertify such facilities as CAHs and reinstate their provider agreements if terminated on or after December 1, 2024, but prior to enactment solely due to the distance requirement. (Thus, CAHs—small rural hospitals eligible for cost-based Medicare reimbursement to maintain services in underserved areas—may continue operating despite recent distance noncompliance findings, subject to other enforcement for unrelated violations.)