Silicon Valley’s military start-ups are closing in on a massive Pentagon payday after spending years pushing sensational, unverified claims of foreign threats. These start-ups, which manufacture cutting-edge lethal and surveillance technology, are eyeing the billions set aside for artificial intelligence (AI) and drone investments in the Pentagon’s new, record-breaking nearly one-trillion-dollar budget.

To boost the autonomous weapons industry, the House and Senate have passed bills demanding that the Pentagon double down on AI, integrating it into routine tasks and using it to maximize “warfighter lethality.” The bills also instruct the military to treat small drones like expendable ammunition rather than reusable aircraft — potentially triggering a massive increase in spending on the vehicles.

These budget items come despite lawmakers conceding that many of these technologies lack comprehensive operating doctrines and have led to cost overruns in the past.