House Republicans narrowly pass $1.15T defense spending bill
by Darryl Coote · UPIJuly 22 (UPI) -- House Republicans narrowly passed a massive $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill Wednesday, despite strong Democratic opposition to the inclusion of President Donald Trump's election legislation and provisions deepening U.S.-Israel military cooperation.
The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2027 passed 216-212 mostly along party lines, with six Democrats joining their Republican colleagues in voting for final passage. Seven Republicans voted with Democrats against it.
The sprawling bill authorizes a record $1.15 trillion for military weapons and programs, raises servicemembers' pay, rebuilds depleted stockpiles, sets policy toward allies and expands government-owned manufacturing of military assets.
It also formally renames the Department of Defense as the Department of War, while also codifying 65 of Trump's executive orders.
"We have done our job," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters after the NDAA's passage. "Democrats, on the other hand, have to go home. They have to answer for quite a bit."
The final vote marked a sharp departure from the bipartisan approach that traditionally accompanies the NDAA, with Democrats nearly unified in opposition to the bill after accussing the Republicans of loading it with far-right policies.
"This NDAA includes unpopular, extremist policy riders," Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., said in a statement.
"This money would bolster the unauthorized and illegal war in Iran that has made life more expensive for every American. There is no justification for it and no clear strategy."
Among the bill's most vocal Republican opponents was Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who called the NDAA "a betrayal of American sovereignty."
"Let's hope this version fails in the Senate because Section 219 is a betrayal of our sovereignty," he said in a second statement, referring to the U.S.-Israel defense technology cooperation initiative.
Section 219 is among the bill's more controversial provisions. It would establish a U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative and direct the Pentagon to designate an executive agent to oversee and coordinate defense cooperation, including joint research, technology development and industrial collaboration between the two countries.
The bill also expands Israel's access to U.S. war reserve stockpiles and expands other areas of military cooperation.
Proponents laud Section 219 for streamlining cooperation between Israel and the United States at a time when they are at war with Iran. Opponents argue it would tie the two countries' defenses establishments too close together.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., was among those who opposed Section 219, which he described as an effort to integrate the U.S. military more closely with Israel.
Khanna, Massie and a bipartisan group of other lawmakers sought to strike the provision from the bill, but the Rules Committee did not allow their amendment to receive a floor vote.
"It's about American sovereignty," he said in a recorded statement.
Democrats also opposed Republicans' incorporation of President Donald Trump's unrelated SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Democrats and civil rights advocates say the requirement would disenfranchise eligible voters.
"Beyond the egregious price tag, Republicans' NDAA is riddled with toxic amendments that attack LGBTQ+ Americans, and final passage of the bad bill will automatically insert the SAVE Act into the final NDAA. This means the NDAA is now tied to Trump's attempt to steal elections by making it more difficult for millions of Americans to vote," Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said in a social media statement following the vote.
"The NDAA is a costly, bad bill that funds an illegal war and undermines our democracy."
The bill now heads to the Senate for negotiations, though the Senate is advancing its own version. The chambers must resolve all differences before the bill can be sent to Trump's desk to be signed into law.
Khanna said he and other lawmakers will fight to strip the Israel provisions from the bill in House-Senate negotiations.
This week in Washington
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Donald Trump's June 24 supplemental funding request at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo