Díaz-Balart Commends Full Committee Passage of FY27 Department of War Funding Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and member of the Defense Subcommittee on House Appropriations, issued the following statement after the full committee approval of the Fiscal Year 2027 Department of War Appropriations Act.
Vice Chairman Díaz-Balart said, “I commend Chairman Tom Cole’s leadership for today’s achievement in advancing all twelve funding bills out of the full committee and fulfilling our duty to ensure regular order.
With the approval of this funding bill, we are once again delivering on our unwavering commitment to the men and women in uniform by ensuring they have the weapons, technology, and innovation needed to strengthen U.S. warfighting and combat readiness.
I also want to recognize Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert’s work in crafting a bill that prioritizes support for our service members and their families and strengthens our efforts to counter transnational drug trafficking, including transferring Mexico from NORTHCOM’s jurisdiction to SOUTHCOM for more effective coordination.
SOUTHCOM’s presence in the region is vital to safeguarding America and protecting our communities from the scourge of illicit drugs and transnational crime.”
Fiscal Year 2027 Department of War Appropriations Bill Key Takeaways
The FY27 Department of War Appropriations Bill provides a total discretionary allocation of $1.072 trillion and enhances America’s strategic military advantage, strengthens support for service members and military families, optimizes the Department of War, disrupts transnational drug trafficking, and delivers on Trump Administration priorities.
Disrupts transnational drug trafficking by:
- Transferring Mexico from United States Northern Command’s jurisdiction to United States Southern Command for better coordination and prioritization.
- Providing $1.2 billion for counter-drug programs.
- Increasing funding for the National Guard Counter-Drug Program. 1
- Providing $464.8 million for United States Southern Command, which supports enhanced detection and monitoring, theater-wide operations, improved command and control, and increased force protection to pursue drug cartels and terrorist networks.
Enhances America’s strategic military advantage by:
- Providing $836 million to procure, for the first time, new-entrant low-cost munition systems and providing multiyear procurement authority.
- Providing over $7.5 billion for hypersonic weapons and test infrastructure. o Providing over $2.9 billion for Defense Production Act (DPA), Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), and Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS).
- Accelerating delivery of capability to the warfighter through over $1.7 billion for Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT).
- Transforming autonomous and counter-small, unmanned aircraft system initiatives with $1 billion for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) and $1.4 billion for the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401).
Strengthens support for service members and military families by:
- Supporting a military pay raise of 7% for all military personnel ranked E-5 and below, 6% for E-6 to O-4, and 5% for O-4 and above.
- Providing an additional $15 million for the Military and Family Life Counseling Program, which provides counseling services to service members and their families to support operational readiness and resilience.
Optimizes the Department of War and improves transparency by:
- Supporting business modernization efforts, including $250 million to accelerate the transition to a modern, secure, and audit-ready financial management environment.
- Digitizing acquisition processes through $72.5 million for Acquisition Visibility.
- Protecting and preserving competition and readiness by mandating a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA).
- Modernizing requirements and resourcing by including $140.1 million for the Mission Engineering and Integration Activity and $92.7 million for Acquisition Integration and Interoperability.
Delivers on Trump Administration priorities by:
- Advancing the President's Executive Order 14409, Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security.
- Furthering the President's Executive Order 14369, Ensuring American Space Superiority.
- Supporting the President's Executive Order 14265, Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base.
- Continuing to ensure that no funding supports diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, Critical Race Theory, or abortion-related travel, consistent with Department of War policy.
- Prohibiting the use of funds to destroy surplus firearms or spent brass that are no longer of use to the United States military.
- Maintaining legacy provisions to prevent the closure or transfer of detainees from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A summary of the bill is available here.
Bill text is available here.
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