(The Center Square) – With the federal government pouring roughly $900 billion a year into the Department of Defense, two lawmakers have crafted a bill that would improve military readiness while saving taxpayers potentially billions of dollars.
Currently, the DOD relies on outside defense contractors to supply U.S. military equipment. But contractors, citing intellectual property concerns, will often maintain sole access to technical data and the right to repair contracted equipment via their own repair providers.
Because service members are technically unequipped and contractually unable to repair their own equipment, the military will often have to wait weeks or months for repairs, a particularly costly problem when stationed overseas.
The Warrior Right to Repair Act of 2025, introduced Tuesday by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., would mandate that defense contractors include “right to repair” provisions in current and future DOD contracts.
It would also require contractors to give the department access to repair materials – including parts, tools, and technical information – on “fair and reasonable” terms.
“It’s common sense for members of our military to be able to fix their own weapons,” Warren said in a news release Tuesday. “Senator Sheehy and I are fighting to improve military readiness and save taxpayers billions. It’s about time we stood up to Pentagon contractors that are squeezing every last cent from us at the expense of our national security.”
If passed, the legislation could save significant taxpayer dollars. The Pentagon has long had a spending accountability problem, failing seven consecutive financial audits and generating congressional scrutiny.
DOD spending makes up nearly half the federal government’s discretionary spending, although the department’s budget comprises roughly 13% of the entire federal budget, as of 2023. President Donald Trump has said he wants to increase the DOD’s budget to $1.01 trillion in fiscal year 2026.
Multiple budget and military-concerned groups have endorsed the Warrior Right to Repair Act, including the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, U.S. Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG), and Taxpayers for Common Sense.
“Pentagon contractors have been making billions on monopoly-priced repair contracts that undermine readiness, put our nation’s warriors at risk, and leave taxpayers to pick up the check,” Taxpayers for Common Sense President Steve Ellis said. “The Warrior Right-to-Repair Act would give our troops access to the tools and data they need, strengthening national security and saving billions in the process.”
