Wednesday, November 4, 2026Independent tracking of the National Defense Authorization Act

The hub for the National Defense Authorization Act — status, history, and analysis

NDAA update ·

NDAA Update Nov 4, 2026: Republicans set their sights on one last reconciliation bill before Democrats take over

One story on Nov. 4: MS NOW's Jack Fitzpatrick on Republicans eying a partisan lame-duck reconciliation package after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 3 midterms, with Iran war funding, a debt limit increase, voting restrictions, crypto, and hemp floated, Republicans also facing year-end deadlines needing Democratic cooperation as government funding runs out Dec. 11 and Congress still has to pass the annual Pentagon policy bill, lawmakers scheduled to be in session only a few weeks before year end, Democrats possibly using must-pass measures as leverage and likely insisting on more votes to end the Iran war, the annual defense authorization measure, which expires Dec. 31, having stalled amid fights over the Iran war after Democrats in July blocked a motion to start Senate floor work on the bill and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would not let it "become a permission slip for that recklessness that we see occurring in Iran," Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) saying lawmakers are prepared for work to go down to the wire — "When I was in the U.S. House, I was here in session on Dec. 31 at midnight... I'm guessing that's a possibility again this year" — and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) saying Republicans should prepare a partisan defense-spending package via reconciliation, since bipartisan funding talks would likely stall into a long-term CR.

Bill status

No change in the bill's status: the House passed H.R. 8800 on July 22, 2026; S. 4784 has not reached the Senate floor; and the Senate is scheduled to return the week of November 9, after the November 3 election, with the NDAA deferred to the lame-duck session. Full timeline: FY2027 NDAA status.

The stories

Republicans set their sights on one last reconciliation bill before Democrats take over

MS NOW · Nov 4, 2026

Jack Fitzpatrick reports that after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 3 midterms, GOP lawmakers are eying a partisan lame-duck reconciliation package, with Iran war funding, a debt limit increase, voting restrictions, crypto, and hemp floated. Republicans also face year-end deadlines needing Democratic cooperation: government funding runs out Dec. 11 and Congress still has to pass the annual Pentagon policy bill. Lawmakers are scheduled to be in session only a few weeks before year end. Democrats may use must-pass measures as leverage, likely insisting on more votes to end the Iran war. The annual defense authorization measure, which expires Dec. 31, stalled amid fights over the Iran war; in July Democrats blocked a motion to start Senate floor work on the bill, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would not let it "become a permission slip for that recklessness that we see occurring in Iran." Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said lawmakers are prepared for work to go down to the wire: "When I was in the U.S. House, I was here in session on Dec. 31 at midnight... I'm guessing that's a possibility again this year." Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said Republicans should prepare a partisan defense-spending package via reconciliation, since bipartisan funding talks would likely stall into a long-term CR.

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