Department of Defense

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense is one of twelve subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Appropriations. It specializes in developing the annual appropriations bill that funds the Department of Defense, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, as well as defense agencies and intelligence activities. Military defense spending is the largest component of federal discretionary spending, making this subcommittee one of the most powerful within the Appropriations Committee. The subcommittee prepares detailed spending recommendations that the full committee then reviews and votes on before the bill moves to the Senate floor.

The subcommittee's jurisdiction covers all discretionary defense funding, including personnel costs, military readiness, weapons development, and security cooperation programs. It does not handle military construction or veterans affairs, which fall under a separate subcommittee. Led by Chair Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Ranking Member Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), the subcommittee conducts extensive hearings with Pentagon leadership and intelligence officials to review budget requests and priorities.

In 2025, the subcommittee held six hearings from May through June to examine the Pentagon's fiscal year 2026 budget request. The subcommittee ultimately recommended $851.9 billion in defense funding, adding $21.7 billion above the Pentagon's request to boost munitions production, shipbuilding, and other defense priorities. The full committee approved this recommendation by a vote of 26-3 in July 2025, setting the stage for negotiations with the House over final defense spending levels.