FY2027 NDAA deferred to lame-duck session as Senate adjourns
The House passed H.R. 8800 on July 22, 2026, 216–212, authorizing a $1.15 trillion FY2027 defense policy bill — including right-to-repair provisions and $500M for a second destroyer. Senate cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 4784 failed on July 14, 2026, 50–46; a motion to reconsider was entered, and there has been no further Senate floor action. The Senate adjourned for the midterm campaign on the night of Wednesday, September 30, 2026, and is scheduled to return the week of November 9, after the November 3 election. Leaders punted the NDAA to the post-election lame-duck session. Fiscal year 2027 began October 1, 2026 without an enacted NDAA.
What's next
The Senate is scheduled to be in session only 8 days in November and 14 days in December, counting Fridays, which aren't typically Senate workdays. Government funding expires December 11, competing for lame-duck floor time. Thanksgiving recess is November 23–27 and the Senate is out December 21–31. Sen. Mike Rounds said, "I think the NDAA will come together after the election." The expected path is a compromise text negotiated by the four Armed Services committee leaders, which wouldn't require the Senate to pass S. 4784 on the floor.