FY2026 Military Construction Appropriations: A Summary

FY2026 Military Construction Appropriations: A Summary

FY2026 Military Construction Appropriations: A Summary

December 8, 2025 (IN12622)

The Department of Defense (DOD), which is "using a secondary Department of War designation" under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025, operates military construction and family housing programs that fund infrastructure to support military operations and servicemembers around the world. The Trump administration's FY2026 budget submission to Congress requested $18.893 billion in discretionary funding for DOD's military construction (MILCON) and family housing programs. The amount reflected a 7.9% increase over the $17.509 billion appropriated for military construction and family housing programs in FY2025 under the full-year continuing resolution (P.L. 119-4) enacted on March 2025.

In the House, on June 12, 2025, the Committee on Appropriations reported a draft Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MILCON-VA) Act (H.R. 3944) and a committee report to accompany the bill (H.Rept. 119-161). The House passed H.R. 3944 on June 25, 2025. The House-passed MILCON-VA bill, (H.R. 3944), would have provided $17.989 billion, about 4.8% less than the amount requested for FY2026. See Table 1.

In the Senate, on July 17, 2025, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reported an amended version of H.R. 3944 and a committee report, S.Rept. 119-43. The Senate's amended version of the bill would have provided $19.837 billion for military construction and family housing programs, about 5% more than the amount requested for FY2026.

On November 12, President Trump signed H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026, into law as P.L. 119-37. The law provided $19.737 billion for military construction and family housing programs for FY2026, which is about 4.5% percent more than the FY2026 request. The MILCON-VA component of the legislation is contained in Division D, and the conferees issued a joint explanatory statement. The joint explanatory statement notes that the legislation provided additional funding beyond the President's budget request to support the construction of Child Development Centers, the demolition of certain obsolete facilities, additional oversight of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI), and for expedited environmental remediation of polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination at U.S. military installations that were closed as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process." The legislation contained 126 Community Project Funding items and Congressionally Directed Spending items.

Table 1. FY2026 Military Construction Funding Legislation

(In thousands of dollars)

Account

President's budget request for FY2026

House-reported H.R. 3944

Senate-reported H.R. 3944

P.L. 119-37

MILCON, Army

$2,173,959

$2,103,657

$2,447,609

$2,381,909

MILCON, Navy and Marine Corps

$6,012,677

$4,104,499

$5,906,524

$5,725,724

MILCON, Air Force

$3,721,473

$3,169,526

$4,090,673

$3,926,273

MILCON, Defense-wide

$3,792,301

$3,963,383

$3,724,301

$3,784,301

MILCON, Army National Guard

$151,880

$358,489

$271,230

$272,930

MILCON, Air National Guard

$188,646

$210,492

$292,546

$292,546

MILCON, Army Reserve

$42,239

$305,032

$46,239

$92,239

MILCON, Navy and Marine Corps Reserve

$2,255

$79,829

$2,255

$52,255

MILCON, Air Force Reserve

$60,458

$37,863

$116,268

$116,468

NATO Security Investment Program

$481,832

$293,434

$481,832

$481,832

Family Housing

$1,854,862

$2,043,622

$1,884,862

$1,884,862

Base Realignment and Closure

$410,161

$489,174

$410,161

$465,161

Administrative provisions

–

$830,000

$162,500

$260,500

Total

$18,892,743

$17,989,000

$19,837,000

$19,737,000

Source: Construction Programs, Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2026, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), p. iv, https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2026/FY2026_c1.pdf#page=5; H. Rept. 119-161, pp. 90-92, https://www.congress.gov/119/crpt/hrpt161/CRPT-119hrpt161.pdf#page=92; S. Rprt 119-43, p. 103, https://www.congress.gov/119/crpt/srpt43/CRPT-119srpt43.pdf#page=103; Joint Explanatory Statement, p. 60, https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/mcva_divdjes.pdf#page=60.

Notes: Family Housing budget numbers include Family Housing Construction accounts, Family Housing Operation and Maintenance accounts, the Family Housing Improvement Fund (FHIF), and the Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund (UHIF).