Bill · S. 5349· Senate(119-S-5349)
DEPOTS Act
- Introduced
- 8/6/2026
- Last activity
- 8/6/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- Sponsored by
- John Cornyn
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "DEPOTS Act," authorizes the Secretary of Defense to handle certain internal financial issues. It allows the Secretary to eliminate internal Department of Defense depreciated costs or cancel internal debts related to depots and arsenals. This applies to capital expenditures that no longer generate revenue because of mission realignments directed by the Federal Government. The authority applies to financial balances within military departments or the Department of Defense. This authority does not extend to payments owed to commercial contractors.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Financial Cleanup of Department Accounts: The Secretary of Defense can write off or eliminate internal accounting charges like remaining depreciation or internal debt associated with assets that no longer generate revenue due to mission realignments (Section 2(a)(1)). This could help clean up the financial books of military departments and the Department of Defense.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No Impact on Commercial Contractors: The bill explicitly states that the authority to write off these costs does not apply to payments owed to commercial contractors (Section 2(a)(3)). Therefore, these specific financial adjustments will not affect any money owed to outside businesses.
- 8/6/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.