Five senators have added their support to Senate bill S 2617—introduced April 7 just before the Spring break—that would link the Pentagon’s planned Tricare fee hike for military retirees under age 65 to the annual percentage increase in retired pay. A similar bill in the House (HR 4949), which was introduced March 14 and has 138 cosponsors, would prohibit DOD from raising fees without Congressional approval. The sense of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle is that DOD must seek additional medical efficiencies and has asked for too large an increase in fees upfront.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.