House · Subcommittee of House Committee on Appropriations
Defense
Composition
17 members
Jurisdiction
Writes the annual Defense Appropriations bill — the single largest appropriations bill in the federal budget at ~$839B for FY26. Determines funding levels for every named DoD program from F-35 procurement to soldier pay, R&D, and intelligence community accounts.
Why lobbyists care
This subcommittee is the highest-leverage 14-member group in Washington for defense industrial base lobbying. Its chair and ranking member determine whether the President's budget request gets accepted, cut, or boosted. Defense primes (Lockheed, RTX, GD, Boeing, Northrop) and their tier-2 suppliers (HII, L3Harris, General Atomics) all have dedicated lobbying staff focused on this subcommittee.
Key programs / authorities
- • F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ($13.12B FY26)
- • B-21 Raider ($4.69B FY26)
- • Sentinel ICBM ($4.11B FY26)
- • Columbia-class submarines ($11.48B FY26)
- • Virginia-class submarines ($12.22B FY26)
- • F-15EX, KC-46, CH-53K, Patriot
Recipients overseen
Federal contractors whose programs are authorized or funded (in whole or part) through this committee's jurisdiction.
Recent activity
FY26 Defense Appropriations bill (HR 7148) marked up June 2025; included +$500M above the request for SDA Tranche 3 satellite layer.
Leadership
Chair
Ranking member
Full roster · 17 members
Methodology note
This committee has significant jurisdiction over the defense sector. Members above flagged with a "Disclosed defense trades" badge have one or more Periodic Transaction Reports (PTRs) covering companies in that sector. The label does not imply legal violation — Members are permitted to hold and trade individual securities under current law, including via managed accounts. Trades shown are disclosed PTR filings; the conflict assessment is our analytical lens on them.