
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted to advance its $852.5 billion fiscal year 2026 defense spending bill, approving a $21.7 billion topline increase that boosts funds for shipbuilding, munitions and Ukraine aid. Lawmakers and senior GOP Senate aides noted the spending increase covers billions of dollars for programs from the services and combatant commands’ unfunded priorities as well as a list the Pentagon recently provided to Congress detailing “misaligned funds” the department expected to receive in the reconciliation bill.…