WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee released its $1 trillion defense spending bill for fiscal 2027, which would green light about a dozen multiyear munitions deals and add back funding for the E-7 Wedgetail program.
The spending level allocated by appropriators is in line with the Pentagon’s $1.15 trillion discretionary request, as funding for military construction, among other things, are spelled out in a separate bill. The department has also requested $350 billion in mandatory funding through a reconciliation bill, which is also formulated outside of the appropriations process.
Munitions production is a focus of the FY27 spending measure, with the bill including $10.6 billion to buy critical legacy munitions — including PAC-3, THAAD and Tomahawk — and $836 million to procure low-cost munitions for the first time. Lawmakers also would approve multiyear procurement authority for those weapons, allowing the Pentagon to go ahead and finalize recently announced framework deals with defense contractors for systems like PAC-3 and THAAD.
The bill fully funds F-35 Joint Strike Fighter procurement at $6.9 billion, and includes $379.9 million for Golden Dome.
Innovation programs were also a priority, California Rep. Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said in a statement.
The bill provides more than $2.9 billion for key Pentagon initiatives aimed at shoring up the industrial base and harnessing up-and-coming technology, including the Defense Production Act (DPA), Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), and Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS).
It also provides $1 billion for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) and $1.4 billion for the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, two efforts focused on drone and counter-drone technology.
“Recent conflicts have highlighted the pressing need to acquire and produce the munitions, weapons, and technology our troops require to meet the moment in both modern and future warfare,” Calvert said. “The increased funding provided in this bill aims to achieve that urgent goal.”
The bill provides $248.3 billion for procurement, $221 billion for development, $335.3 billion for operations and maintenance, and $204.1 billion for personnel accounts.
HAC’s defense subcommittee is slated to meet Thursday to markup the bill in a closed session, with debate under the full committee scheduled for June 24.
Democratic appropriators have already signaled that they may not be willing to support historic levels of spending on defense while other government spending is cut.
This year’s defense spending bill is an “unprecedented sum” that comes at the expense of investments in areas like education, said Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.
“The bottom line is this: Pouring over a trillion dollars into the Department of Defense will not keep Americans safe if it requires us to mortgage our nation’s students, our future workforce, and our strategic diplomatic efforts to pay for it,” she said in a statement.
Here’s a closer look at what’s in the bill:
Air Force
Likely the biggest change in the Air Force’s portion of the appropriations bill is the restoration of funding for the E-7 Wedgetail program. The Air Force had planned on cancelling the E-7 again in FY27, but Pentagon leaders have since reversed course on the program, signaling their plans to ask for a “budget amendment” that would add funding back for the program.
House appropriators included almost $1.6 billion for Wedgetail development in their version of the bill.
Appropriators fully funded the Air Force’s request for 15 KC-46 aircraft at $3.5 billion and 24 F-15EX aircraft at $2.6 billion. They also included $2.2 billion for B-21 Raider procurement and $977 million for procurement of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
The Compass Call program was fully funded, with $660 million allotted for three Compass Call aircraft, while lawmakers also included $300 million for additional C-130Js for the Air National Guard.
The Air Force’s sixth-generation F-47 fighter would get $5 billion in development funding, with $2.8 billion for further development of the B-21.
The bill also included $355 million to procure Air Force’s Family of Affordable Mass Missile systems.
Navy and Marine Corps
Appropriators included $56.7 billion for 21 ships in the FY27 bill. Part of that sum pays for 11 battle force ships, including one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, two Virginia-class fast attack submarines, one FF(X) Frigate, one Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, one Amphibious Assault Ship, one Amphibious Transport Dock, two oilers, one AS(X) submarine tender, and one T-AGOS SURTASS ship for antisubmarine warfare. The Navy had requested funds for one additional AS(X) submarine tender.
The committee included $828 million for the submarine industrial base. The private nuclear shipyards are also slated to get a boon with $1.3 billion for “productivity enhancements” meant to improve shipbuilder capacity and efficiency, and $471 million for wage enhancements.
In the area of aircraft, the Navy would receive $2.1 billion for six E-2D Advanced Hawkeye planes and $771 million for three MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based tanker drones, while the Marines would get $3 billion for 22 CH-53K heavy transport helicopters. The bill also includes $1.6 billion for 11 KC-130Js for the Marine Corps and Navy Reserve.
In the area of development, the Navy would get $915 million for its Next Generation Fighter F/A-XX, and $156 million to procure low-cost hypersonic strike systems.
Space Force
A summary of the bill provides few details on how funding for the Space Force changed from the service’s budget request.
Appropriators would spend $3.7 billion for 20 space launch services and $680.9 million for two Global Positioning System III Follow On spacecraft.
Research and development for the Space Force includes $200 million for Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar spacecraft and $100.7 million for commercial space services.
Army
Army helicopters appear to have gotten a boost, with a summary of the bill stating that lawmakers would appropriator $493 million “for additional UH/HH-60M Army Black Hawk helicopters” and $456 million “for additional CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters,” without providing numbers.
The bill also includes $661.2 million for M109A7 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzers and M992A3 Field Artillery Ammunition Support vehicles. It would appropriate $655 million to upgrade 22 Abrams tanks to the M1A2 (SEP)v3 tank variant, and provide $1.1 billion for Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) procurement.
Under the development portfolio, the Army would get $2.1 billion for the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (MV-75). It would also receive $155 million for the Improved Turbine Engine Program and $325 million to procure low-cost hypersonic strike systems.
