Air Force splits F-35, munitions funding between base budget and reconciliation bill senators call unlikely to pass

The Air Force requested half of its F-35 program funding, multiyear munitions procurement, and key space programs through a partisan reconciliation bill rather than base appropriations. Senators from both parties criticized the structure Tuesday. Alaska installations and missions tied to F-35 readiness, spare parts, munitions, and facility modernization would be affected if the split structure fails, senators said.

"Core pieces of the President's defense agenda, like multiyear procurement contracts for critical munitions, half of the F-35 program, Golden Dome, and DROME dominance initiatives are all requested as a one-off reconciliation spending, not a full year base appropriations," Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman Mitch McConnell said at a hearing on the Air Force's fiscal 2027 budget request. "It's also a recipe for major disruptions in the very possible event that party-line reconciliation fails."

Ranking Member Chris Coons said the request "places critical resources, multi-year munitions procurements, spare parts for the F-35 program, key missile defense space programs into a reconciliation package that I doubt will ever be enacted." McConnell said flatly, "I think it's safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill. So it's really not an option."

The FY27 Department of the Air Force request totals $338.8 billion, a 34% increase from last year, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink told the subcommittee. Officials framed the request as an unusually large one-year increase and a deliberate split between discretionary appropriations and mandatory funding.

Senator Susan Collins highlighted the reconciliation split with a specific example: of the $154 million request for the F-35 engine's power thermal management upgrade, only $10 million is requested in the base budget. "I would just suggest that it is taking a terrible risk and creates instability when you're counting on a third reconciliation bill for the bulk of the money rather than doing base funding through the defense appropriations bill," Collins said.

Readiness, spare parts, munitions, and infrastructure funding would flow to JBER and Eielson under the request. Weapon systems sustainment funding increased to over $24 billion and flying hours to nearly $10 billion, affecting training and maintenance tempo for Alaska-based aircraft such as F-22s at JBER and F-35s at Eielson. Chief of Staff of the Air Force Kenneth Wilsbach said the budget includes $4.5 billion for the working capital fund, "which funds the necessary parts and weapon system sustainment. A large portion of that is for F-35."