NEGATIVE War & Foreign Policy 119th Congress

H.R.4016 DoD Appropriations FY2026

Department of Defense Appropriations FY2026 — funds $831 billion in military spending (119th Congress)

Legal & Constitutional Grounding

Continued record military spending without passing a financial audit lacks fiscal accountability.

GAO-25-107427 — DoD has failed all 7 independent financial audits (2018-2024); cannot account for $4.1 trillion in assets

Brown University Costs of War Project (2021) — $8 trillion total cost of post-9/11 wars
CBO, Long-Term Implications of the 2025 Future Years Defense Program (2024)

Who Lobbied on This Bill

$82.7M combined quarterly activity

93 lobbying firms

255 clients represented

2025-fourth_quarter–2026-second_quarter filing period

⚠ 69 lobbyists who worked this bill previously held government positions

Show all 69

ABBEY OVERLAND — Special Asst. Office of the Sec Def, Special Asst. Office of the Asst. Sec Def for Leg Affairs, Legislative Asst.,…
ADAM HOWARD — Chief. of Staff, Rep. M. Turner; Staff Dir. HPSCI; Dep. Chiefof Staff, Rep. T. Huelskamp; Sr. Adv., Sen. D. Coats;…
ADRIANA RIVERA — Military Legislative Assistant & Military Legislative Aide - U.S. Senate(Sen. Bennet) Staff Assistant, Legislative…
ALBERT KAMMLER — Special Assistant to Staff Director/Legislative Assistant, Professional Staff, House Homeland Security Committee
ALEX BOLTON — Chief of Staff, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis
ALEXIS OBERG — Policy Aide, Office of Governor Nathan Deal
ANDREW QUINN — SA, LA - Rep. Hoyer
ANJALI TADAVARTHY — Paid Intern - Washington DC Office of Senator Tina Smith
AUGUSTA BINNS-BERKEY — Professional Staff Member, Senate Armed Services Committee, Apr 2017 - Aug 2020
BARTON ROPER — Chief of Staff for Rep. Joe Scarborough - Dec. 1994 to Sep. 2000
BRUNO FREITAS — Dep. Chief of Staff, Dep. Chief of Staff for Econ. Dev., Director of Econ. Dev. and Sen. Adv., Senator Elizabeth…
CHRISTOPHER BRADISH — Legislative Director, Office of Sen. Arlen Specter
CHRISTOPHER EDDOWES — Senior Policy Advisor, Congressman Lloyd Smucker
CHRISTOPHER LYDON — Research Assistant, Sen. Enzi; Staff Assistant, Sen. Coburn
CHRISTOPHER PEACE — Legislative Director (January 1999 to October 2000) for Rep. Hobson
COLIN BRAINARD — Chief of Staff, Rep. Steve Watkins; Executive Director, Joint Economic Cmte.; Dep. Chief of Staff, Rep. Erik…
CORY BULLOCK — Congressional Liaison Officer, US Agency for International Development
DANIEL BLEIBERG — Senior Policy Advisor, National Security and Foreign Policy Advisor, and Legislative Assistant, Sen. Jacky Rosen;…
DANIEL MENCHER — Clerk, Senate Approps Cmte; Deputy Budget Director, US ICE; Deputy Budget Director, Agricultural Research Service;…
DEVIN BRYANT — Research Assistant for the House Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee; Legislative Affairs Liasion for NASA
DIMITRIOS KARAKITSOS — Staff Assistant, Research Assistant, Professional Staff, Counsel, Senior Counsel, Senate Environment & Public Works…
EDWARD KRENIK — Assoc. Admin. Cong. Affairs, EPA (2001-03); Leg. Director, Rep. Frelinghuysen (1994-2001); Leg. Asst./Assoc. Staff…
ELIZABETH AHRENS — Scheduler for Rep. Lucy McBath, Jan 2019 - Aug 2019 Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Sen Bill Nelson, Jul…
ELIZABETH FOLEY — LA - Rep. McCollum
EVAN POLISAR — Senior Legislative Assistant and Rules Committee Associate for Rep. Alcee Hastings - Aug 2019 to Dec 2020;…
GRIFFIN REINECKE — Paid Intern, Staff Assistant, Research Assistant, Legislative Assistant - House of Representatives Committee on…
HANNAH SHEA — Staff-Rep. David Valadao (2016-2017); Staff-Rep. Steve Womack (2017-2019)
JACKSON CLARK — Paid Intern - District Office of Senator Amy Klobuchar
JACKSON STUTEVILLE — Legislative Intern, Rep. Kendra Horn
JAMES HAYES — Senate Committee on Appropriations, Professional Staff Member.
JASON SWINSON — Intern, Reps. Mike Rogers, Jerry Carl, Barry Moore, and Robert Aderholt
JENNIFER BELAIR — Continued: Rep. Jeb Hensarling; Parliamentarian-Rep. Pete Sessions; Legislative Director-Rep. Doug Collins;…
JENNY DEBERRY — Senior Legislative Assistant/ Legislative Assistant, Congressman John J. Duncan, Jr.; Senior Campaign Finance…
JESSE APPLETON — Legislative Assistant, Sen. James Talent; Senior Advisor, Department of Treasury
JILL SHAPIRO — Professional Staff Member, Senate Appropriations Committee; Legislative Assistant, Sen. Barbara Mikulski.
JOSEPH BRAZAUSKAS — Cnsl, HComm on Oversight and Gov't Reform(2011-2015).SrCnsl, Env. Subcomm Staff Dir, H Science Space & TechComm…
JOSEPH GLEBOCKI — Legislative Director/Counsel Rep. Henry Brown, Jr. (2001-2004)
KATHERINA DIMENSTEIN — Legislative Assistant for Senator Joni Ernst - March 2016 to January 2017 Legislative Director for Rep. David…
KEVIN SCHMIDT — Dept. of Homeland Security,Director, Office of Legislative Affairs;House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,…
LAUREN GILLIS — Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense; Chief of Staff to the Counselor, Sr Policy Advisor, Congressional…
LAWRENCE GROSSMAN — Professional Staff, House Armed Services Committee
LELAND COGLIANI — Professional Staff of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee; Senior Analyst at the Government…
LILLIAN ADELSTEIN — Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Legislative Correspondent
MANICA NOZIGLIA — Legislative Assistant for Senator Mark Warner - Jan 2009 - June 2013; Military Legislative Assistant for Rep. Jim…
MARTHA ROBY — Former Member of U.S. House of Representatives
MATTHEW BORMET — Legislative Assistant, Sen. Ron Wyden; Legislative Assistant, Rep. Rick Larsen
MICHAEL PETERSON — Legislative Director, Sen. Leg. Assistant, Leg. Assistant, Leg. Correspondent/Media Specialist, Staff Assistant,…
NORA KHALIL — PSM-House Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee (2023-2024); PSM-Senate Energy & Water Appropriations Committee…
NORMA KRAYEM — Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Transportation; Deputy Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration;…
PAUL CAMBON — Former Legislative Director for Congressman Robert Livingston
ROBERT COOPER — Legislative Asst., Rep. Paul Ryan.
RYAN LOSAK — Legislative Assistant, Sen. John Boozman; Legislative Correspondent, Rep. John Kline
SARAH HELTON — Intern, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner
SEAN JOYCE — Chief of Staff, Congressman Patrick McHenry; Legislative Director, Congressman Shuster; Communications Director,…
SHARON ESHELMAN — Senior Advisor-DHS Office of Legislative Affairs; Subcommittee Staff Director-House Committee on Oversight and…
SIERRA CATO — Sen. Adv. on Minority Ed., DOE OEID; Sen. Adv., DOE OES; Acting Staff Secretary, DOE Office of the Sec.; Leg. Law…
SRINIVAS SONTI — Temporary Professional Staff - United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; Senior Policy Advisor Senator…
STEPHEN JONES — Senate Liaison, Secretary of the Air Force Legislative Liaison (2023-2024)
STEPHEN VOLJAVEC — Legislative Director, Rep. Vern Buchanan; Legislative Assistant, Senator Marsha Blackburn
SUSANNAH HOWIESON — Nuclear Security Fellow in Office of Congressman Bill Foster
TAYLOR ARMENTROUT — Staff Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Aide - Senator John Cornyn
TIMOTHY CHURCHILL — Intern - Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (March 2017 - August 2017) Intern - Congressman Roger Marshall (August 2017 -…
TIMOTHY WOLVERTON — Legislative Director for Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith - (April 2018-December 2024); Senior Policy Advisor for Senator…
WALLY BURNETT — Clerk, Senate Appropriations Committee
WILL BREWSTER — Legislative Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Senator Richard Shelby
WILLIAM KATT — Legislative Fellow, Office of Rep. Phil Roe
WILLIAM LANE — Rep. Jeff Duncan (Jan. 2018-July 2024) Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Sept. 2017-Jan 2018) (Internship) Sen. Marco Rubio (May…
WILLIAM RICE — Senior Policy Advisor, Rep. David Price Military Legislative Assistant, Rep. Bud Cramer Legislative Director, Rep.…
YONNICK HAMMOND — Intern, Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Assistant to Rep. Henry Brown; Legislative Correspondent to Rep. Jeff…

Policy Areas Covered

Aerospace Agriculture Aviation/Airlines/Airports Budget/Appropriations Chemicals/Chemical Industry Computer Industry Defense Education Energy/Nuclear Environment/Superfund Government Issues Health Issues Homeland Security Intelligence Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice Manufacturing Marine/Maritime/Boating/Fisheries Natural Resources Science/Technology Small Business Urban Development/Municipalities Veterans

Government Entities Lobbied

Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
Agriculture, Dept of (USDA)
Air Force, Dept of
Army, Dept of (Corps of Engineers)
Army, Dept of (Other)
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives
Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS)
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Commerce, Dept of (DOC)
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Defense Logistics Agency
Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
Defense, Dept of (DOD)
Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
Education, Dept of
Energy, Dept of
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Executive Office of the President (EOP)
Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank)
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
General Services Administration (GSA)
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)
Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)
Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS)
Interior, Dept of (DOI)
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Intl Trade Administration (ITA)
Justice, Dept of (DOJ)
Maritime Administration (MARAD)
Natl Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
Natl Economic Council (NEC)
Natl Geospatial Intelligence Agency
Natl Guard
Natl Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)
Natl Institutes of Health (NIH)
Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Natl Science Foundation (NSF)
Natl Security Council (NSC)
Navy, Dept of
Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives
Office of Management & Budget (OMB)
Office of Natl Drug Control Policy (NDCP)
Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP)
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Office of the Vice President of the United States
SENATE
Small Business Administration (SBA)
State, Dept of (DOS)
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Surface Transportation Board (STB)
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
Treasury, Dept of
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
U.S. Customs & Border Protection
U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE)
U.S. Marines
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)
Vice President of the U.S.
White House Office

Who Hired the Lobbyists

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
ELECTRA AERO, INC. Aerospace manufacturing
FRIENDS COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION
GENERAL DYNAMICS Defense Contractor
INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION (IIE) international education and training organization
GECKO ROBOTICS, INC. Software and robotics manufacturer providing engineering services
PHLOW CORPORATION Pharmaceutical manufacturer
AMETRINE INC. Manufacturing
TECHNICAL MICRONICS CONTROL, INC. Precision Cleaning and Engineering
GENERAL ATOMICS ELECTROMAGNETIC SYSTEMS, INC. Engineering, technology manufacturing

Source: Senate LDA filings · Dollar figures are combined quarterly totals for all lobbying by each firm, not bill-specific spend.

DoD Appropriations FY2026 — funds $831 billion in military spending. The bill continues record military spending without meaningful oversight reforms.