In an interview Saturday on the sidelines of the 2025 Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith offered new details about lawmakers’ compromise on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act just ahead of the bill’s Sunday release. He also weighed in on Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought’s speech to the national security establishment and discussed the Trump administration’s failure to disclose orders authorizing combat operations — including strikes on alleged drug runners in the Caribbean — to Congress. Stay tuned for more from our interview with HASC’s top Democrat.
Adam Smith details NDAA deal, blasts Pentagon secrecy at Reagan National Defense Forum
Defense authorizers are seeking $901 billion for national security in 2026, though appropriators have the final say on how much money to offer.