[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 16, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S8787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4011. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 3951 submitted by Ms. Collins and intended to be 
proposed to the bill H.R. 4016, making appropriations for the 
Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, 
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS TO RENAME THE DEPARTMENT 
                   OF DEFENSE.

       (a) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available by this Act for the Department of 
     Defense may be obligated or expended to change the name of 
     the Department of Defense to the ``Department of War'' or any 
     substantially similar designation, unless such change is 
     expressly authorized by an Act of Congress.
       (b) Applicability.--The prohibition under subsection (a) 
     shall apply to--
       (1) any rebranding, renaming, or relabeling of official 
     documents, signage, websites, communications, or materials;
       (2) any administrative, logistical, or contractual actions 
     taken to implement such a name change; and
       (3) any public communications or directives that refer to 
     the Department of Defense by a name other than that 
     established under section 111 of title 10, United States 
     Code.
       (c) Rules of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall 
     be construed to prohibit the informal or colloquial use of 
     the term ``Pentagon'' to refer to the Department of Defense 
     or its headquarters building in public communications, press 
     materials, or commentary.
       (d) Reporting Requirement.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     detailing any expenditures incurred or anticipated in 
     connection with efforts to rename or rebrand the Department 
     of Defense.
       (2) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on the 
     Budget, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; 
     and
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on the 
     Budget, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
     Representatives.
                                 ______