Included in the House version of the 2007 defense authorization bill is language that would overturn the Air Force’s recently revised religious guidelines by allowing chaplains to pray according to their own religions even in mandatory military formations. The Air Force—and the Navy—had issued earlier this year revised guidelines that would keep prayers at official events generic and would give chaplains the option not to officiate. The service, which has said that the latest revision is not final, is still also embroiled in a lawsuit that says it has permitted proselytizing at the Air Force Academy.
In a new 2026 appropriations bill released Jan. 20, Congress included an extra $900 million to save the E-7 airborne early warning and control aircraft from cancelation, an additional $500 million for the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter to address “emerging” needs, and $401 million to make up for “economic factors” in…
