When is the NDAA vote?
Answer
As of October 1, 2026, no Senate floor vote on S. 4784 is scheduled. The House already voted on Jul 22, 2026. Leaders deferred the bill to the lame-duck session.
Votes already taken
House: House passes H.R. 8800, 216–212, with a $1.15T topline (Jul 22, 2026).
Senate: The Senate adjourned September 30, 2026, and is scheduled to return November 9. Cloture on the motion to proceed failed 50–46 on July 14; a motion to reconsider remains pending. The bill is deferred to the lame-duck session
What is scheduled 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.
The Senate's tentative 2026 calendar is the source for the November return and the limited November/December session days. No chamber calendar entry in that file sets a date certain for an NDAA final-passage vote.
Sources
- 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)
- U.S. Senate — Tentative 2026 schedule (2026)