Executive Summary

In FY2026, Congress added nearly $34 billion to the Pentagon’s procurement and research accounts through 1,090 individual program increases. Most were proposed anonymously. Three-fourths of these increases funded projects that the Pentagon did not seek any funding for in its budget request.

Compared to FY2024, the cost of congressional increases in these accounts rose about 60 percent in FY2026. The number of increases, however, only rose by 1.6 percent, indicating a sharp spike in the average cost per increase. FY2025 was distorted by a full-year continuing resolution and temporary spending caps, but the broader trend is clear: the cost of program increases in the Pentagon budget is growing rapidly.

These program increases often function as backdoor earmarks, allowing lawmakers to anonymously target funds to specific recipients. Numerous examples of lawmakers taking credit for increases that will likely benefit their states, districts, and campaign contributors underscore the potential conflicts of interest at play.

This report therefore recommends requiring the sponsors of program increases to publicly associate themselves with each proposed increase, offer justifications and long-term cost assessments, detail any proposed offsets at the program level, certify that they have no financial interest in the increase, and list the companies that eventually receive contract awards as a result of their proposed increases.