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This week, we’re taking a closer look at how Congress shapes America’s defense strategy as our deep-dive policy series continues over the August district work period.
As a senior member of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and Chairman of the West Point Board of Visitors (BoV), my work is dedicated to equipping our military with the proper resources to provide for our country’s Common Defense and overseeing the training of our sons and daughters to fight and win in the crucible of ground combat.
In Congress, there are two pieces of annual legislation that work together to advance our defense objectives: the defense appropriations bill and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Together, these bills strengthen our military’s capacity to fight and win wars, support our allies, and stay ahead of our adversaries like China.
It is important to understand that the NDAA and defense appropriations bill have distinct roles. The NDAA authorizes defense priorities, force structure, and policies. The defense appropriations bill provides the actual annual funding for personnel, training, operations, procurement, research and development, and other Pentagon priorities.
Understanding this distinction is important as both bills aim to address and respond to the nation’s current military needs each year.
For the current fiscal year, FY2026, the NDAA authorized $890 billion for national defense, including military construction, while the defense appropriations bill provided $839.2 billion for readiness, acquisition reform, industry capacity, and new mission areas like missile defense and advanced technology. Military construction costs are appropriated in a different bill.
For FY 2027, President Trump requested a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget to deliver “peace through strength” by modernizing our military, investing in defense industrial capacity, and reestablishing deterrence to threats across the globe.
This request, along with new needs resulting from military actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, prompted Congress to modify our defense policies and funding levels.
In June, my colleagues and I on the House Appropriations Committee advanced the FY 2027 defense appropriations bill, providing a total discretionary allocation of $1.072 trillion—a responsible and negotiated figure that achieves the President’s priorities while properly stewarding taxpayer dollars.
In July, the full House passed the FY 2027 NDAA, authorizing $1.15 trillion in discretionary funding to achieve the same priorities funded by the defense appropriations bill.
While these pieces of legislation may seem like they only impact the Pentagon and our troops overseas, the results can be seen here in Arkansas. The clearest example of this is at Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in Fort Smith.
As readers know well, Ebbing is home to the Air Force’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) F-35 Pilot Training Center. Here our airmen train foreign pilots to fly the F-35 aircraft that their home nations are purchasing from the U.S. The foreign nations participating in this program include strong American allies such as Singapore, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Finland, and more.
Through this program, Ebbing has become a major international training hub tied directly to allied airpower, U.S. deterrence, and the region’s economy. Recent developments have reinforced its importance and continue to elevate Ebbing as a premier training facility.
Since FY 2024, Senator Boozman and I have secured $443 million to support constructing and equipping this world class training center. You can see development ongoing at Ebbing on multiple pieces of vital infrastructure, including the multi-country Academic Training Center.
As of June 9, 2026, the Department of the Air Force approved Ebbing as the final location for the F-35 FMS mission. This decision also increases the planned number of aircraft stationed there from 24 to 36. Having this growing mission headquartered in the River Valley is extremely impactful for the Third District and the entire state of Arkansas.
The news will tell you that there is no strategy, that there is too much division in Congress, and that the President is acting without Congress’ say on the matter. But the facts tell a different story. The NDAA is a bill that has been passed annually since its first enactment in 1961, making it one of the most enduring pieces of bipartisan legislation in U.S. history. The defense appropriations bill funds those priorities and carries the same tradition of bipartisanship. Finally—and most importantly—the President cannot act without a funded defense apparatus.
For Arkansas’s Third District, our goal should be to focus on the outcomes that matter most: a military prepared to meet the known and perceived threats our country faces, exceptional stewardship of taxpayer dollars, support for servicemembers and their families, and a larger long-term role for Ebbing in the nation’s defense. So far, we’re achieving this goal.
As you read the news, remember that a busy year in Congress and at the Pentagon signals that the U.S. is responding to a more dangerous world with urgency. I look forward to returning to Washington to continue my work securing the necessary resources for our men and women in uniform who keep our country safe. |