The military spending portion of the reconciliation bill, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (or H.R. 1), will primarily benefit military contractors, according to a joint issue brief from the Costs of War project and the Stimson Center. The brief explains that H.R. 1 sets a dangerous precedent for lawmakers to make major military policy and spending decisions through reconciliation rather than the regular NDAA process.
H.R. 1 breaks from precedent by allocating $156 billion for Pentagon and military-related programs in fiscal years 2025 - 2029, notes Stimson Center research analyst Julia Gledhill, who authored the brief. She also notes that it lacks details on specific spending categories, effectively making it a slush fund, while incentivizing future lawmakers to skirt the regular budget process.