The Investing in Children Before Missiles Act would pause development of the Air Force's Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program and redirect its funding to education. Instead of replacing aging Minuteman III missiles with over 600 new Sentinel missiles at a projected cost of $260 billion over the program's lifetime, the bill would extend the Minuteman III missiles' operational life until at least 2050. All current Defense Department funds appropriated for the Sentinel program and Department of Energy funds for the related W87-1 warhead would be transferred to the Department of Education to support K-12 schools under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The bill prohibits any spending on these missile programs in fiscal year 2026 and requires the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent study within 180 days comparing the costs and feasibility of extending the Minuteman III versus deploying the Sentinel, with results due to Congress within 210 days. The bill's sponsors argue that the U.S. submarine-based nuclear deterrent provides sufficient security, that ICBMs carry risks of accidental war, and that education funding is a better investment of taxpayer dollars.
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