"We would like to see that budget amendment," one senior HASC staffer said.
HASC still waiting for a formal budget amendment
The House Armed Services Committee has not yet received a budget amendment to fund the E-7 Wedgetail, even after the Defense Department publicly reversed course and said it would support the next‑generation radar plane. Committee staff told reporters they are unaware of how much the administration will seek, whether funds will be discretionary or mandatory, or what offsets might be proposed because the amendment has not arrived.
Pentagon public statements and the promised request
Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told House lawmakers the Pentagon would amend its $1.5 trillion budget request to include Wedgetail, which had been removed earlier in favor of space‑based systems. Last week, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers the estimated $1.5 billion amendment is “working its way” to Congress. A White House Office of Management and Budget spokesperson told Defense One that “OMB will be sending a budget amendment to Congress in short order so it can be considered in the NDAA,” and that the administration looks forward to continuing work with Congress to fund the President’s defense priorities.
Why leaders say the E-7 funding returned
Defense officials framed the reversal as a response to recent battlefield losses. Secretary Hegseth described the Pentagon’s earlier posture toward the E-7 as resembling a “divest-to-invest mindset,” and said the platform has a “future” on the battlefield. The renewed support followed reporting and a Congressional Research Service report noting damage to an E‑3 Sentry and other support aircraft during the Iran war, and damage during Operation Epic Fury prompted former military leaders to call for increased funding for battlespace awareness upgrades and AWACS replacements, according to Defense One.
Air Force acquisition plans and the HASC draft NDAA
The Air Force has said it is “evaluating options to resource the E-7 program in FY 2027 to deliver Rapid Prototyping aircraft and continue Engineering and Manufacturing Development activities,” according to an Air Force spokesperson. Secretary Meink told lawmakers in April that the service plans to buy five additional Wedgetails in addition to two prototypes already under contract.
Despite those statements, the initial draft of the House Armed Services Committee chairman’s 2027 National Defense Authorization Act did not include procurement or research and development funds for the E-7. The committee’s draft did, however, add $55 million outside of the Pentagon’s budget request for an E–7 AWACS Squadron Operations Facility at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
What this means for OMB, HASC, and the Air Force
- OMB: The Office of Management and Budget has committed to sending a budget amendment “in short order” so the E-7 funding can be considered in the NDAA; how the administration characterizes the request (discretionary versus mandatory) and what offsets it proposes will determine how quickly HASC can act.
- HASC: Committee staff have signaled they will add E-7 procurement funding once they receive the formal amendment; until then, lawmakers lack the specifics needed to draft final NDAA provisions for the aircraft.
- The Air Force: Service officials are evaluating FY 2027 resourcing options to move the program into Rapid Prototyping and continue engineering and manufacturing development, and maintain plans to acquire five additional Wedgetails beyond two prototypes under contract.
The administration’s pledge to amend the budget resolved a recent policy reversal on the E‑7, but the change remains procedural until the written request lands on Capitol Hill. HASC is publicly prepared to consider the funding, and OMB has said it will transmit the amendment “in short order,” leaving the timing and the financial details—the dollar amount, classification of funds, and offsets—as the immediate open questions that will determine whether the Wedgetail procurement moves forward in the 2027 NDAA.
