What happens if the NDAA doesn't pass?
Answer
As of October 1, 2026, FY2027 has already begun without an enacted NDAA. The NDAA is an authorization act, not the bill that appropriates money, so the Department of Defense can still operate under appropriations or a continuing resolution. Some annual policy authorities would not update until a bill is signed.
Authorization is not a shutdown trigger
CRS's defense primer on the NDAA process describes the bill as the annual authorization act for Defense Department programs and policies. It does not itself appropriate funds. A government shutdown risk attaches to appropriations (or a continuing resolution), not to the NDAA.
DoD can be funded by a defense appropriations act or a CR even when the NDAA is unfinished. FY2027 began October 1, 2026 without an enacted NDAA — that fact is already in the live summary.
What does lapse
Permanent authorities in title 10 and other titles continue. Time-limited authorities that an NDAA must renew, plus new policy in the pending House and Senate texts, do not take effect until a bill is signed.
This site does not list an inventory of expiring authorities here; that list changes by cycle and belongs in CRS or the committee reports, not in an unsourced recap.
Military basic pay
If Congress does not enact a different figure, 37 U.S.C. § 1009 still adjusts basic pay on January 1 using the Employment Cost Index. CRS IN12706 states the statutory ECI default for January 2027 is 3.6 percent. Details and House/Senate bill cites are on the pay-raise guide.
Sources
- CRS — Defense Primer: The NDAA Process (IF10515) (updated periodically)
- CRS — FY2027 Military Pay Raise (IN12706) (July 14, 2026)
- 37 U.S.C. § 1009 — Automatic January 1 basic-pay adjustment (current law)
- Congress.gov — H.R. 8800 — FY2027 NDAA (House) (Jul 22, 2026)
- Congress.gov — S. 4784 — FY2027 NDAA (Senate)
- The Hill — Senate adjourns until November (Oct 2026)
- UPI — Senate adjourns until November (Oct 1, 2026)
- The Hill — Lame-duck agenda balloons (Sep 18, 2026)
- U.S. Senate — Tentative 2026 schedule (2026)