Senator Budd Releases Statement After Congress Passes FY26 Funding for the Department of Defense
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after Congress passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Defense Appropriations Act.
“The FY26 appropriations package makes a critical investment in our troops by ensuring the U.S. military has the very best equipment, training, and capabilities to defend the homeland as America’s adversaries continue to threaten global stability and U.S. security.
“As the Senator for North Carolina, one of our country’s top states for our military, I am proud to have fought for key provisions increasing funding for special operators’ counter-drone technology, upgrades for the F-15E fleet, and new Army tactical vehicles. Additionally, I championed measures to continue support for our Allies and partners, including Israel, Taiwan, and the Baltics. This appropriations package also follows through on our commitment to take care of our service members by giving junior enlisted a ten percent pay raise and providing a historic investment to improve Marine Corps barracks.
“North Carolina will greatly benefit from this funding package, from revitalizing our defense industrial base to prioritizing counterdrug operations. Our state will be more secure and prosperous because of these investments,” said Senator Budd.
Below is a summary of provisions Senator Budd championed that were passed by Congress:
ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY
$3M for Rare Earth Magnet Manufacturing
$52.3M for Hypersonic Readiness Assessment Vehicle
$5M for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies and Equipment for Supersonic Aircraft
$16M for DIU OnRamp Hub Geographic Expansion
STANDING WITH OUR ALLIES
$1B for weapons and training for Taiwan
$342M for the Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund
Restricts defense funds going to the Taliban
$80M for U.S.-Israel Anti-tunneling Cooperation
$75M for U.S.-Israel Counter-UAS Cooperation
$47.5M for U.S.-Israel Emerging Technology Cooperation
$500M for Israel Missile Defense programs
MILITARY SERVICES
Air Force
$102M for F-15 radar and communication upgrades
$213M for F-15 electronic warfare capabilities
$18M for the Air Force Adaptive Threat Modeling Labs
$115M for Air Force F-15EX Procurement
$3.9B for Air Force Procurement of 24 new F-35s
$277M for Air Force F-35 Upgrades
$531M for Air Force F-35 Spares & Repair Parts
Army
$25M for SOCOM Counter-UAS
$4M for Army Pathfinder Airborne
$246M for Army Infantry Squad Vehicles
$47M for Army Heavy Duty Dump Truck
$335M for Army Counter-UAS
$175M for the Army’s UH-60/AH-64 Improved Turbine Engine Program
$360M for AH-64E Apache Procurement
$2M for Expandable Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen & $10M for Field Containerized Kitchen Service Life Extension
Navy & Marine Corps
$6M for Navy Silicon Carbide Bi-directional Power Convertor
$3.7B for Navy/Marine Corps Procurement of 23 new F-35s
$381M for Navy/Marine Corps F-35 Upgrades
$535M for Navy/Marine Corps F-35 Spares & Repair Parts
DOD-Wide
$20M for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program
CIVIL AIR PATROL
$57.9M for Civil Air Patrol Operations & Maintenance
$17.8M for Civil Air Patrol Aircraft Procurement
$3.3M for Civil Air Patrol Vehicle Procurement
Are you tired of being bombarded by paywalls and pop-up ads when trying to read the news? Do you believe that access to reliable political news should be free and accessible to everyone? Then we urge you to support NC Political News, a weekly electronic political news outlet.
NC Political News is committed to providing high-quality, unbiased political reporting with columnists from all political sides. Unlike other news outlets, NC Political News is free to read and supported by businesses who purchase ad space on our website and in our newsletter, which goes out Monday through Friday at 7:00 am. This means that readers like you can access the news without being asked to pay a cent or dealing with frustrating advertisements.
However, to continue providing this valuable service, NC Political News needs your support. If you believe in the importance of accessible, free news, we urge you to click the image below. Any amount of support is appreciated.
Together, we can keep the news free and help ensure our state stays informed and connected.
