When it comes to key MOAA legislative priorities, the biggest news from the so-called “megabill” signed into law July 4 may have been what wasn’t included.

When the House narrowly passed the Senate version of the legislation July 3 without any changes, it ended the immediate threat to the “90-10 rule” – a critical protection for veteran education benefits that, if repealed, would’ve left student-veterans vulnerable to aggressive recruiting tactics from for-profit colleges. The House version would’ve replaced the rule with a new, untested system of protections, at the cost of $1.6 billion over 10 years. MOAA worked with fellow advocacy groups and stakeholders to protect the current rule.

The new law includes $150 billion in DoD funding, some of which addresses MOAA focus areas:

• Better BAH: $2.9 billion in supplemental funds for the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), though details on how the funds will be spent remain unclear. MOAA has fought to restore BAH to 100% of projected housing costs.
  
  
• Unaccompanied Housing: $1 billion for Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force housing, and more than $230 million to support the Marine Corps Barracks 2030 program.
  
  
• Health Care: $2 billion in additional funding for the Defense Health Program.
  
  
• Child Care: $100 million in child care fee assistance, and another $62 million to modernize staffing at DoD child care centers.
  
  
• More Spouse and Family Support: $100 million for Impact Aid payments (designed to assist school districts with large DoD populations), and $10 million for military spouse professional licensure.
  
  

Now What?

With the megabill now law, Congress already has resumed work on the two more typical tracks that set agency budgets and agendas for the fiscal year – authorization and appropriation.

DoD: Separate from the megabill, DoD has requested nearly $850 billion in funding for FY 2026. The House is expected to vote on its DoD appropriations bill, which allocates $831.5 billion, in mid-July; the bill passed the House Appropriations Committee last month. The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) should also make strides in July before lawmakers leave for summer recess in early August.

[RELATED: MOAA Leaders Meet With House Armed Services Chair as NDAA Takes Shape]

VA: The House version of the VA appropriations bill passed the chamber June 25, becoming the first appropriations bill to clear either chamber of Congress. It was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 30. The VA does not have an annual authorization-bill vehicle for legislative changes; the last piece of omnibus legislation, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, passed in December in the final days of the 118th Congress and was signed into law Jan. 2.

[RELATED: Dole Act Becomes Law: What It Means to Veterans and Caregivers]

Keep up with the latest on these pieces of legislation, including MOAA’s work to ensure the bills preserve service-earned benefits while maintaining a strong all-volunteer force, by visiting our news page.