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General transfer authority

Division A · Title X: General Provisions · Subtitle A: Financial Matters

Plain-language summaryAI

The Secretary of Defense can move up to $6 billion between different defense budget authorizations for fiscal year 2027 if it’s necessary for national interests, except transfers between military personnel accounts don’t count toward this limit. Transfers must prioritize higher-importance items, cannot fund items Congress denied, and cannot reduce funds for certain military housing and child development facilities. The Secretary must inform Congress promptly about any such transfers.

AI-generated from this section’s text — a quick orientation, not a substitute for the full text below. Not legal advice.

Section Text · Sec. 1001.
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(a) Authority to transfer authorizations

(1) Authority

Upon determination by the Secretary of Defense that such action is necessary in the national interest, the Secretary may transfer amounts of authorizations made available to the Department of Defense in this division for fiscal year 2027 between any such authorizations for that fiscal year (or any subdivisions thereof). Amounts of authorizations so transferred shall be merged with and be available for the same purposes as the authorization to which transferred.

(2) Limitation

Except as provided in paragraph (3), the total amount of authorizations that the Secretary may transfer under the authority of this section may not exceed $6,000,000,000.

(3) Exception for transfers between military personnel authorizations

A transfer of funds between military personnel authorizations under title IV shall not be counted toward the dollar limitation in paragraph (2).

(b) Limitations

The authority provided by subsection (a) to transfer authorizations—

(1)

may only be used to provide authority for items that have a higher priority than the items from which authority is transferred;

(2)

may not be used to provide authority for an item that has been denied authorization by Congress; and

(3)

may not be used to reduce the total amount of authorizations available for facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization projects for military unaccompanied housing (as defined in section 2871 of title 10, United States Code) or military child development centers (as defined in section 1800 of such title) (commonly known as Quality of Life Infrastructure ).

(c) Effect on authorization amounts

A transfer made from one account to another under the authority of this section shall be deemed to increase the amount authorized for the account to which the amount is transferred by an amount equal to the amount transferred.

(d) Notice to Congress

The Secretary shall promptly notify Congress of each transfer made under subsection (a).