The bill
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026
HR. 4016, 119th Congress β read as touching Defense Contractors.
Sponsored by
Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41]
ID: C000059
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 4016, 119th Congress β read as touching Defense Contractors.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
30 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S8522)
December 7, 2025
π Current Status
Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another exercise in futility, courtesy of our esteemed lawmakers. Let's dissect this bloated monstrosity, shall we?
HR 4016, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026, is a $729 billion behemoth that reeks of pork-barrel politics and special interest largesse. The bill's sponsors, no doubt recipients of generous campaign contributions from defense contractors, have seen fit to allocate funds with all the finesse of a drunken sailor on shore leave.
The total funding amount represents a 3% increase over last year's appropriation, because what's a few billion dollars among friends? The bulk of the funds will go towards military personnel ($152.4 billion), followed by operations and maintenance ($244.8 billion), and procurement ($134.6 billion). Because who needs infrastructure or education when you can have more bombs and bullets?
Notable programs receiving funds include the F-35 fighter jet program, which has been a poster child for cost overruns and inefficiency ($10.4 billion); the Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier program ($2.5 billion); and the Army's Abrams tank upgrade program ($1.3 billion). Because what's a few billion dollars in waste when you can have more toys for the military-industrial complex?
Riders attached to this bill include provisions related to cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and "supporting our troops" (read: more pork for defense contractors). One particularly egregious rider allows the Secretary of Defense to waive certain procurement rules, because who needs accountability when you're buying bombs?
Fiscal impact? Ha! This bill will add another $100 billion to the national debt, but hey, what's a few hundred billion dollars among friends? The deficit implications are staggering, but our lawmakers are too busy lining their pockets with campaign cash to care.
Now, let's play "follow the money." A cursory glance at the sponsors' and cosponsors' campaign finance records reveals a veritable Who's Who of defense contractors: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon Technologies, and Northrop Grumman, among others. It's almost as if these companies have a vested interest in perpetuating our endless wars and bloated military budget.
In conclusion, HR 4016 is a symptom of a deeper disease: the corrupting influence of money in politics, the prioritization of special interests over the public good, and the utter incompetence of our lawmakers. It's a bill that will further enrich defense contractors at the expense of American taxpayers, while perpetuating our national security state's addiction to war and waste.
Diagnosis: Terminal stupidity, with a side of corruption and greed. Prognosis: Poor.
Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41]
Congress 119 β’ 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
No individual contributions found
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 60 nodes and 30 connections (88 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $85,240
Showing top 18 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 20 helped.
The bill appropriates funds for procurement, research, development, test and evaluation, operation and maintenance, and other defense programs that directly benefit defense contractors. For example, Title III (Procurement) includes specific line items for aircraft, missiles, weapons, tracked combat vehicles, ammunition, shipbuilding, and other equipment procurement totaling tens of billions of dollars. Title IV (Research, Development, Test and Evaluation) funds basic and applied scientific resea
Title VI, Defense Health Program: $40,917,184,000 appropriated for medical and health care programs of the Department of Defense, which includes funding for military hospitals and health systems.
Title IV, Research, Development, Test and Evaluation: Significant funding for cyber-related programs including Defensive CYBER (PE 0608041A), Risk Management Information (PE 0608013N), and Maritime Tactical Command and Control (PE 0608231N). Also Title II, Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide includes funds for cybersecurity activities.
The bill includes significant funding for aircraft procurement across all military branches (Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force) in Title III. For example: Aircraft Procurement, Army ($2,980,039,000), Aircraft Procurement, Navy ($17,989,351,000), Aircraft Procurement, Air Force ($21,414,080,000), and Procurement, Space Force ($3,721,695,000). These funds will be used to purchase aircraft from commercial aerospace manufacturers like Boeing (for military variants) and other aerospace companies, pr
Title VI, Defense Health Program: $21,023,765,000 may be available for contracts entered into under the TRICARE program, which is the Department of Defense's health insurance program for military personnel and their families.
Title VI, Defense Health Program: $1,795,621,000 for research, development, test and evaluation, which includes pharmaceutical research and development activities.
+ 14 more industries not shown.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022βpresent cycles. Donations are not proof of intent β they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.
A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the proposed foreign military sale to the Government of Israel of certain defense articles and services.
Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034.
HELP Response and Recovery Act