Johnson: Defense bill advances ‘Peace Through Strength Agenda’

Congressional leaders released the final bill text the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Sunday, as they seek to get the annual defense policy bill across the finish line.

The budget for the Department of Defense is $8 billion more than the $892.6 billion in President Trump’s budget request for the department.

The defense policy bill does not appropriate funds but rather sets the policy for the year ahead.

“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement.

“This legislation includes important House-passed provisions to ensure our military forces remain the most lethal in the world and can deter any adversary. It roots out Biden-era wokeism in our military and restores merit-based promotions and admissions to service academies, prohibits contracts with partisan firms, counters antisemitism, and halts harmful, unnecessary programs like CRT, DEI, and climate initiatives,” Johnson continued.

The NDAA could face a vote as early as this week.