DoD COW Act of 2025

This bill, titled the Department of Defense’s Cost of “War” Act of 2025 (DoD COW Act), would require that the costs associated with renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War be paid only from existing travel funds. Specifically, the Secretary of Defense would first reallocate money available for travel to cover these costs, and if those travel funds are insufficient, the Secretaries of the military departments would also reallocate their travel funds to cover the remaining amount. The bill defines the scope of “covered costs” as expenses tied to changing the name on physical signage and on government websites, stationery, printed media, and digital media. It also requires a report to Congress within one year detailing the total amounts obligated or expended for these costs. The short title is DoD COW Act of 2025, and the bill includes a sense-of-Congress provision stating that such a name change should be enacted by Act of Congress. In short, the bill makes the renaming financially self-contained within travel budgets, rather than drawing from general or other appropriations, and it formalizes that any change to the department’s name requires an Act of Congress.