September 17 (legislative day, September 16), 2025
Ms. Alsobrooks (for herself and Mr. Van Hollen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
To require amounts used to pay the costs of the renaming the Department of Defense to be derived from the travel budget of the Secretary of Defense, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Department of Defense’s Cost of ‘War’ Act of 2025
or the DoD COW Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Designation of funds to pay costs of renaming Department of Defense
(a) Finding
Congress finds that—
(1)
title II of the National Security Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 499, chapter 343) established the National Military Establishment to replace the Department of War; and
(2)
the National Military Establishment was subsequently renamed the Department of Defense, by an amendment to the National Security Act of 1947 made by section 4 of the National Security Act Amendments of 1949 (63 Stat. 578, chapter 412).
(b) Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that, as the Department was established and named by an Act of Congress, the name of the Department can be changed only by an Act of Congress.
(c) Designation of funds
(1) In general
The Secretary shall pay covered costs by reallocating amounts available to the Secretary for travel expenses to pay such costs.
(2) Additional funds
If the total amount of covered costs exceeds the total amount available to the Secretary for travel, the Secretary shall pay the remaining amount of covered costs by reallocating amounts available to the secretaries of the military departments for travel to pay such costs.
(d) Report required
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the total amount obligated or expended to pay covered costs.
(e) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Covered costs
The term covered costs means costs accrued by the Department and associated with the changing of Department of Defense
to Department of War
on physical signage, websites, stationary, printed media, and digital media owned or operated by the United States Government.
(2) Department
The term Department means the executive department established by section 111 of title 10, United States Code.
(3) Secretary
The term Secretary means the official established by and appointed under section 113 of such title.