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S. 2296 · 119th CongressStatus not classified

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Latest action. Held at the desk. · November 12, 2025

Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research Service

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

This bill sets forth policies and authorities for FY2026 for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, military construction, and the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DOE). It also authorizes the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board for FY2026. The bill authorizes appropriations but it does not provide budget authority, which is provided by appropriations legislation.

Among other elements, the bill

authorizes the procurement of various items, including aircraft, ships, and missiles;

authorizes active duty and reserve component personnel strength levels;

authorizes specified military construction projects and extends the authorization of certain projects from previous fiscal years;

requires DOD to develop a strategy on the national security implications of emerging biotechnologies;

requires the Navy to implement certain processes to improve the material condition and combat readiness of Navy surface ships maintained and repaired at private shipyards;

extends the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (an initiative to enhance U.S. deterrence and defense posture, assure allies and partners, and increase capability and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region) through FY2026; and

repeals various statutory provisions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion within DOD, including a provision establishing the position of Chief Diversity Officer of DOD.

For additional information on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) see

In Focus IF10516, Defense Primer: Navigating the NDAA , and

In Focus IF10515, Defense Primer: The NDAA Process .

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on July 15, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

Status
Latest action, as recorded
November 12, 2025

Held at the desk.

Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.

Where this sits in the process
Common questions
Composed from the official record
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?

The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.

The record's latest action, on November 12, 2025: Held at the desk.

How likely is it to become law?

Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.

In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.

This one has no outstanding steps listed above.

Has anyone actually voted on it?

Yes. 12 recorded roll-call votes cite this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.

Who is behind it?

Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced it on July 15, 2025. No cosponsors are recorded.

Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.

How long has it been in play?

It was introduced on July 15, 2025, 422 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 302 days ago, on November 12, 2025.

Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.

Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.

Vote history

Senate · S. 2296, as amended; An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.Passed
Yea 77 Nay 20 Present / not voting 0
Official roll callOctober 9, 2025
Senate · Curtis Amdt. No. 3697; To require a review of the methodologies used to determine the amounts of locality-based comparability payments and to require the President's Pay Agent to conduct a pilot program establishing alternative models for determining the amounts of those payments.Rejected
Yea 51 Nay 46 Present / not voting 0
Official roll callOctober 9, 2025
Senate · Scott (FL) Amdt. No. 3535; To require Presidential appointment and Senate confirmation of the Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.Rejected
Yea 53 Nay 43 Present / not voting 0
Official roll callOctober 9, 2025
Senate · Motion to Proceed to S. 2296; An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.Agreed to
Yea 83 Nay 13 Present / not voting 0
Official roll callSeptember 4, 2025
Senate · Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 2296; An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.Agreed to
Yea 84 Nay 14 Present / not voting 0
Official roll callSeptember 2, 2025