Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.

Highlights:

• Specifies and sets forth policies and authorities for Fiscal Year 2026 for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, military construction, and the national security programs of the Department of Energy (DOE) (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Authorizes the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board for Fiscal Year 2026 (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Authorizes appropriations, but it does not provide budget authority, which is provided by appropriations legislation (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Authorizes the procurement of various items, including aircraft, ships, and missiles (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Authorizes active duty and reserve component personnel strength levels (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Authorizes specified military construction projects and extends the authorization of certain projects from previous fiscal years (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Requires DOD to develop a strategy on the national security implications of emerging biotechnologies (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Requires the Navy to implement certain processes to improve the material condition and combat readiness of Navy surface ships maintained and repaired at private shipyards (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Extends the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (an initiative to enhance U.S. deterrence and defense posture, assure allies and partners, and increase capability and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region) through Fiscal Year 2026 (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

• Repeals various statutory provisions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion within DOD, including a provision establishing the position of Chief Diversity Officer of DOD (Title I-XXXII, Div. A-D, Sec. 1-4001).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to table S. Amdt. 3849 that directs the Attorney General to make publicly available documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Highlights:

• Requires and directs the Attorney General to make publicly available documents related to Jeffrey Epstein (Sec. 1).

• Requires that not later than 15 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and each United States Attorney’s Office, that relate to (Sec. 1):

• Jeffrey Epstein, including all investigations, prosecutions, or custodial matters;

• Ghislaine Maxwell; 

• Any flight logs or travel records, including manifests, itineraries, pilot records, and customs or immigration documentation, for any aircraft, vessel, or vehicle owned, operated, or used by Jeffrey Epstein or any related entity;

• Any individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with the criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements, or investigatory proceedings of Jeffrey Epstein;

• Any corporate, nonprofit, academic, or governmental entities with known or alleged ties to the trafficking or financial networks of Jeffrey Epstein;

• Any immunity deals, non-prosecution agreements, plea bargains, or sealed settlements involving Jeffrey Epstein or his associates;

• Any internal Department of Justice communications, including emails, memoranda, and meeting notes, concerning decisions to charge, not charge, investigate, or decline to investigate Jeffrey Epstein or his associates;

• Any communications, memoranda, directives, logs, or metadata concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data related to Jeffrey Epstein, his associates, his detention and death, or any investigative files; or

• Any documentation of the detention or death of Jeffrey Epstein, including incident reports, witness interviews, medical examiner files, autopsy reports, and written records detailing the circumstances and cause of death.

• Prohibits the Attorney General from withholding from publication, delaying the publication of, or redacting any record, document, communication, or investigative material based on embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the Attorney General from withholding from publication any record, document, communication, or investigative material, or redacting any segregable portion of any record, document, communication, or investigative material, that contains personally identifiable information from the personal or medical file of a victim or child witness, including information that (Sec. 1):

• The publication of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

• Depicts or contains child pornography, as defined in section 2256 of title 18, United States Code;

• Would jeopardize an active Federal investigation or ongoing Federal prosecution, if the withholding or redaction is narrowly tailored and temporary;

• Depicts or contains any image of the death, physical abuse, or injury of any person; or

• Contains information that is specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and is properly classified pursuant to that Executive order.

• Specifies that the Attorney General shall publish in the Federal Register and submit to Congress a written justification for each redaction under subparagraph (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Attorney General to declassify, to the maximum extent possible, any information that the Attorney General would otherwise withhold or redact as classified information under this subsection (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that if the Attorney General determines that information described in clause (i) may not be declassified and made available in a manner that protects the national security of the United States, including methods or sources related to national security, the Attorney General shall make publicly available an unclassified summary of the information (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Attorney General to publish in the Federal Register and submit to Congress each decision made after July 1, 2025, to classify any information that would otherwise be required to be made publicly available under paragraph (1), including the date of classification, the identity of the classifying authority, and an unclassified summary of the justification for classification (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that not later than 15 days after making publicly available all records, documents, communications, and investigative materials under subsection (a)(1), the Attorney General shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report containing (Sec. 1):

• A list of each category of records, documents, communications, and investigative materials made publicly available or withheld;

• A summary of the redactions made, including the legal basis upon which the redactions were made; and

• A list of each government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary named or referenced in the records, documents, communications, and investigative materials made publicly available, without redaction in accordance with subsection (a)(2).

Full Bill Text
Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to invoke cloture on a bill that authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.

Highlights:

• Appropriates billions for the fiscal year 2026 for the following, including, but not limited to (Div. A-D, Title I-XXXII, Sec. 1-4001):

• Military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction;

• Defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year; and 

• For other purposes.

• Specifies that the provisions of this bill shall take effect immediately upon passage and approval by the President (Div. D, Title XXXII, Sec. 4001).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to invoke cloture on a bill that authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.

Highlights:

• Appropriates billions for the fiscal year 2026 for the following, including, but not limited to (Div. A-D, Title I-XXXII, Sec. 1-4001):

• Military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction;

• Defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year; and 

• For other purposes.

• Specifies that the provisions of this bill shall take effect immediately upon passage and approval by the President (Div. D, Title XXXII, Sec. 4001).

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text