This bill, introduced in July 2025, would pause the Air Force's Sentinel missile program and redirect its funding to education. The Sentinel program is meant to replace the aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), but it has experienced massive cost overruns—ballooning from an estimated $78 billion in 2020 to $141 billion today, with total life-cycle costs potentially exceeding $260 billion. The bill's sponsors argue these costs are unjustifiable, especially since the U.S. already has a reliable nuclear deterrent through submarine-based missiles that are virtually undetectable.

Instead of building new Sentinel missiles, the bill would extend the life of the existing Minuteman III missiles until at least 2050. It would immediately transfer all Sentinel research and development funding—along with funding for the new W87-1 warhead being developed for Sentinel—to the Department of Education to support K-12 schools. The bill also blocks any spending on Sentinel or the new warhead in fiscal year 2026. To evaluate whether extending Minuteman III is actually feasible, the bill requires the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent study comparing the costs and risks of extending the old missiles versus building new ones, with results due within six months.