Senate's defense reconciliation bill released

The Senate GOP has released its $150 billion defense reconciliation bill, which will be included in the chamber’s version of the “Big Beautiful Bill” that must eventually be aligned with one that narrowly passed the House last month.

The defense bill, released by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS), differs from the amounts supported by the House in several areas, though it would authorize the same amount ($25 billion) for the Golden Dome missile defense program.

Amounts that differ include:

• $28 billion for shipbuilding ($5.7 billion less)
• $23 billion for munitions ($2.6 billion more)
• $16 billion for “innovation” ($2.5 billion more)
• $16 billion for readiness ($4.5 billion more)
• $15 billion for nuclear deterrence ($2 billion more)
• $9 billion for aircraft ($1.8 billion more)
• $3.3 billion for border security ($1.7 billion less).

The bill also seeks $12 billion for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and $9 billion for military quality of life, which matches the House legislation.

Watch Inside Defense for further reporting.