In addition to passing the National Defense Authorization Act – a key plank of the president’s plan to spend $1.5tn on the military in the 2027 fiscal year – House Republicans on Wednesday agreed to begin the process of writing a $95bn bill to fund the war with Iran.
The passage of this budget resolution paves the way for the creation of a reconciliation bill, which can advance through the Senate under special rules that circumvent the Democratic filibuster and requires only a simple majority to pass.
Like the NDAA, the budget resolution will also likely be used by the House administration committee to pass the Save America Act into law, which will ban mail-in ballots nationwide and impose enhanced strict identification requirements on voters when they cast ballots and register.
The Guardian’s Chris Stein has more here:
The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act in a 216-212 vote, with all but six Democrats opposing its passage and seven Republicans breaking ranks to oppose the measure.
These are the Democrats that voted for NDAA:
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Henry Cuellar of Texas
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Donald Davis of North Carolina
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Jared Golden of Maine
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Vicente Gonzalez of Texas
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Adam Gray of California
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Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington
These are the Republicans that voted against it:
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Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma. “While I support providing for a robust national defense, I could not in good conscience vote for this legislation as it authorizes a $263.4bn (29.6%) increase over the authorized level for the previous fiscal year,” Brecheen posted on X.
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Tim Burchett of Tennessee
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Elijah Crane of Arizona
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Harriet Hageman of Wyoming
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Anna Paulina Luna of Florida
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Thomas Massie of Kentucky
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Chip Roy of Texas
The bill now goes to the Senate.
Outcry over the $1.15tn defense policy bill passed in the House
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The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) typically passes in Congress each year with bipartisan margins. But the $1.15tn defense policy bill passed in a near-party-line vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in an uproar.
That’s because the NDAA’s path to enactment this year has been complicated by the president’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran without first seeking authorization from Congress – a war that has already cost $37.5bn, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Last week, Senate Democrats blocked the advancement of that chamber’s version of the NDAA in protest of the war.
“While millions of Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities, Congress is choosing to authorize over $1tn for the Pentagon, once again funneling billions of taxpayer dollars to defense contractors instead of investing in the needs of working people,” Ilhan Omar, a Democratic representative from Minnesota, posted on X.
She continued: “The American people are sick and tired of funding atrocities abroad and want this war with Iran to end. Yet year after year, the Pentagon fails its audit with virtually no accountability, while Congress continues to increase military spending.”
Further complicating matters, Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, acceded to the demands of rightwing lawmakers and inserted into the legislation the Save America Act, a Trump-backed proposal to ban mail-in ballots and impose new identification restrictions on voters at the polls and when they register. “This budget resolution is our best shot at enacting as much of the Save America Act into law as possible,” Johnson -posted on X.
“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,” Jerry Nadler, a Democratic representative from New York, posted on X. “The NDAA is a costly, bad bill that funds an illegal war and undermines our democracy.”
Section 219 of the NDAA – which establishes the US-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative – also had Republican representatives protesting the bill’s passage. “Section 219 is a betrayal of our sovereignty,” Kentucky conservative Thomas Massie said on X. Far-right firebrand Lauren Boebert also said she sat out on the NDAA vote because of Section 219.
More to come.
