S. 2296 (119th): An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.

S. 2296 (FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act, Senate original bill) sets policy and authorizes FY2026 appropriations for DOD military activities, military construction, and DOE defense programs. It authorizes procurement of aircraft, ships, and missiles; sets active-duty and reserve personnel strength levels; authorizes specific military construction projects and extends some prior authorizations; requires a DOD strategy on the security implications of emerging biotechnologies; requires Navy processes to improve readiness of surface ships repaired at private shipyards; extends the Pacific Deterrence Initiative through FY2026; authorizes the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board; and repeals various DEI-related statutory provisions in DOD, including the Chief Diversity Officer position. The bill authorizes but does not itself provide budget authority.

Theological note: Scripture affirms the state's sober duty to restrain evil and protect the common defense (Romans 13:4), while also requiring that the sword be wielded with justice and that public resources be stewarded faithfully. This bill is relevant to the question of whether defense spending serves just protection of the innocent and national security, or whether it funds unjust force or misplaced priorities. Its DEI-repeal provisions raise contested questions of institutional policy rather than an obvious direct moral act, and the bill's content is largely routine authorization rather than a clear advancement of named moral harm.

• Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
• Lane: appropriations. Category: corruption_stewardship. Lane tag: general equity.
• Lane: defense_authorization. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: defense_policy. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: dei_repeal. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: indo_pacific_deterrence. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: military_construction. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: military_funding. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: military_spending. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: national_defense. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
• Lane: war_funding. Category: war_peace. Lane tag: prudential.
• Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
• Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
• Roll 570: On Passage of the Bill S. 2296. Vote type: final_passage.
• Roll 500: On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed S. 2296. Vote type: cloture.
• Roll 503: On the Motion to Proceed S. 2296. Vote type: cloture.
• Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill is primarily a large authorization of defense programs, personnel, and construction, which is a prudential and mixed matter: defense protection and readiness can serve legitimate ends, but it also funds military operations and spending that warrant scrutiny under just-war and stewardship concerns. The DEI repeals and biotechnology and shipyard provisions are policy choices rather than direct moral evil. Nothing in the metadata shows the bill directly advancing an unjust killing or a named moral harm, so it is not evil, and it does not clearly restrain a named evil, so it is not good.
• Theological note: Scripture affirms the state's sober duty to restrain evil and protect the common defense (Romans 13:4), while also requiring that the sword be wielded with justice and that public resources be stewarded faithfully. This bill is relevant to the question of whether defense spending serves just protection of the innocent and national security, or whether it funds unjust force or misplaced priorities. Its DEI-repeal provisions raise contested questions of institutional policy rather than an obvious direct moral act, and the bill's content is largely routine authorization rather than a clear advancement of named moral harm.

Debt and war Cloture and Tier 1 Procedural votes Scoring mechanics war funding