This sets the Department of Defense’s spending plan for fiscal year 2026. It pays for troops, day‑to‑day operations, equipment, and research, and it sets rules for how this money can be used.

Key points for people and communities:

• Health rules: No enforcing COVID-19 mask mandates. COVID-19 shots cannot be required for Defense employees or for students in Defense-run schools.
• Medical coverage: Defense funds may not be used for gender‑affirming surgeries or hormone treatments. The Exceptional Family Member Program cannot provide or refer gender‑transition procedures for minor children, or move a family just to access that care .
• Base events and training: Money may not support drag queen story hours for children on bases or use drag queens as recruiters. It also blocks funding for programs seen as “Critical Race Theory,” and stops the Pentagon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plan and DEI offices .
• Speech and censorship: Funds may not be used to label Americans’ speech as “misinformation,” “disinformation,” or “malinformation,” or to work with groups that pressure companies to censor lawful speech.
• Hiring and conduct: No recruiting, hiring, or promoting anyone convicted of child pornography or sexual assault, or anyone disciplined for using federal resources for child pornography.
• Contractor rules: For federal contracts over $1 million, companies cannot force workers to use arbitration for sexual assault, sexual harassment, or certain discrimination claims.
• “Buy American”: Strong preferences for U.S.-made materials and products, including steel plate, ball and roller bearings, and supercomputers; waivers can be pulled if a country discriminates against U.S. goods .
• Tribal housing: The Air Force may give relocatable military homes at several bases to Indian tribes in NV, ID, ND, SD, MT, OR, MN, and WA at no cost, through the Operation Walking Shield program.
• Guantanamo: Blocks moving detainees into the United States and keeps the base open; transfers abroad are tightly limited by law .
• Other targeted bans: No funds for EcoHealth Alliance or for NewsGuard .
• Savings: The measure also includes multi‑billion‑dollar cuts to reflect “savings and efficiencies” across the department.

When: These directions apply to fiscal year 2026 spending.