House unveils Defense spending plan with cleanup cuts

By Andres Picon | 06/10/2025 06:38 AM EDT

The legislation would increase funding for international disaster aid.

Rep. Ken Calvert is pictured walking.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, will mark up his fiscal 2026 bill Tuesday. Francis Chung/POLITICO

House Republicans’ Defense appropriations bill would decrease the Pentagon’s spending on environmental restoration while boosting overseas disaster assistance.

The fiscal 2026 Defense bill, unveiled Monday, proposes to keep military funding flat relative to the current level of $831.5 billion. Republicans want to add an additional $150 billion or more through their party-line reconciliation bill.

Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) said in a statement the bill provides the resources necessary for “maintaining American military superiority, leveraging our technological innovation into tactical advantages on the battlefield, and supporting the Defense Department’s most valuable assets — our warfighters.”

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Calvert’s subcommittee will mark up the bill in a closed session Tuesday, with a full committee markup scheduled for Thursday. Democrats could protest the relatively little climate-focused funding in the bill.

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