Maddy summaryThe GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive missile defense architecture to protect the United States homeland from ballistic, hypersonic, cruise, and unmanned system threats. It creates a "Golden Dome Direct Report Program Manager" with significant authority to accelerate development and deployment of integrated air and missile defense systems, including space-based sensors, interceptors, and ground-based radars. The legislation allocates $23 billion for fiscal year 2026 to fund next-generation interceptors, space sensors, radar modernization, and other critical components of the defense system. It requires rapid testing of systems, prioritizes commercial solutions for cost efficiency, and mandates that combatant commands include missile defense requirements in annual budget requests. The Act focuses on creating all-domain awareness from the seafloor to space to provide early warning and effective defense against evolving missile threats.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryS 2138 (Buy-to-Budget Flexibility Act) removes specific budget certification requirements for defense procurement of finished military equipment ("end items"). It modifies Title 10, U.S. Code, by eliminating language requiring agency heads to certify budget compliance before purchasing such items and deleting related subsections (b) through (d). This change directly affects defense agencies and contractors managing military equipment purchases, streamlining the procurement process. The bill simplifies budgetary steps without altering funding levels or introducing new financial obligations.
Maddy summaryThe PRIME Act (S 2139) modifies how the U.S. military buys experimental defense equipment. It expands the types of items covered under experimental procurement to include prototypes, designs, and auxiliary services, and allows for more flexible prototyping without requiring justification for exceeding necessary scope. Crucially, it permits combatant commands to directly authorize follow-on production contracts for successfully tested items without competitive bidding or additional justification, provided they submit a written determination confirming the item's success. This primarily affects military procurement officers and defense contractors involved in developing new equipment. The change aims to speed up fielding of proven technologies by reducing bureaucratic hurdles after successful testing.
Maddy summaryThe Expedited Delivery Act (S 2137) modifies federal procurement rules to expand agencies' flexibility in bypassing competitive bidding for certain purchases. It raises key spending thresholds: increasing the sole-source approval limit from $10 million to $100 million for items with "differentiated capabilities" or "accelerated delivery schedules," and adjusting other caps (e.g., from $500,000 to $10 million for specific reviews). This directly affects federal agencies (like the Department of Defense) when purchasing goods or services under Title 10, U.S. Code. The bill removes prior restrictions and clarifies procedures for expedited acquisitions without creating new programs or altering policy outcomes.
Maddy summaryThe Smart Pricing Practices Permanence Act (S 2136) extends a pilot program for defense contracting and pricing processes, making it permanent. It removes the requirement for contractors to submit even minimal reports and deletes an existing subsection (d) from the program. This change simplifies the process by eliminating all unique reporting obligations for contractors. The bill directly affects defense contractors participating in the program by reducing their administrative paperwork. The goal is to accelerate contracting and pricing through streamlined procedures.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Defense Department contracting rules to streamline the transition from prototype testing to full-scale production. It creates a new "follow-on production" category for contracts over $100 million that have successfully demonstrated technology, and adds a provision allowing officials to bypass full competition for urgent, proven technologies ready for immediate deployment. The changes primarily affect Department of Defense contracting officers and defense contractors managing prototype-to-production projects. The law aims to accelerate fielding of tested capabilities for urgent military needs without requiring additional development.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows military members discharged for refusing mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations to seek legal remedies for wrongful discharges. If the Court of Federal Claims rules the discharge was involuntary (e.g., due to vaccine noncompliance), affected service members receive back pay for missed training, retroactive service time to reach retirement milestones (like 18 or 20 years), and full retirement benefits. The law specifically covers discharges resulting from vaccine mandate refusal, including separations labeled "for convenience" or "misconduct" related to vaccination status. It applies to current cases pending in the Court of Federal Claims after enactment.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a two-year pilot program (starting January 2026) to test predictive risk-scoring algorithms for monitoring Medicare payments for durable medical equipment and clinical diagnostic lab tests. It requires voluntary participation from Medicare beneficiaries who opt in to electronic Medicare Summary Notices and agree to the pilot. The algorithm would score transactions from 1 (low risk) to 99 (high risk), triggering human review for high-risk cases, with beneficiaries given a chance to correct errors via email or phone. The program mandates algorithm testing, beneficiary notifications about data use, and requires human oversight before suspending payments or transactions. It specifically covers claims for durable medical equipment and lab tests under Medicare.
Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 This act reauthorizes the Department of Defense to sell its excess aircraft and aircraft parts that are acceptable for commercial sale for wildfire suppression purposes. Such authority begins June 12, 2025, and ends October 1, 2035. The act also provides that such aircraft may be used to deliver water by air in order to suppress wildfire (the previous authority only provided for the delivery of fire retardant). The act removes the previous limitation on providing international wildfire suppression assistance with such purchased aircraft.
Maddy summaryS 2028, the Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act of 2025, provides federal grants to colleges offering construction and manufacturing apprenticeships to expand student recruitment and support services. It creates two grant programs: (1) community outreach grants (max $500,000 per college) to connect with high schools, employers in rural areas, and workforce boards - prioritizing rural, first-generation, minority, and nontraditional students; and (2) student support grants (max $500,000 per college) for advising, mental health services, childcare, and career development to improve program retention and completion. The bill authorizes $5 million annually (2026-2030) for these programs, targeting colleges that sponsor registered apprenticeships in construction or manufacturing. It directly affects eligible apprenticeship colleges by funding specific activities to grow enrollment and support underrepresented students in these fields.