WASHINGTON — In a significant move, the House approved a comprehensive defense policy bill on Wednesday, paving the way for $900 billion to be allocated to military programs. This includes a salary increase for service members and a revamp of the Department of Defense’s weapon procurement process.
The legislation passed by a vote of 312-112, amid rising tensions between the Republican-led Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration concerning military management.
Generally, the National Defense Authorization Act garners bipartisan support, and the White House has expressed “strong support” for this essential legislation, aligning it with Trump’s national security strategy. However, the extensive bill, spanning over 3,000 pages, contains provisions that challenge the Department of Defense. These include calls for more transparency regarding naval operations in the Caribbean and enhanced support for European allies, such as Ukraine.
The bill includes a 3.8% pay increase for numerous military personnel, along with improvements to housing and infrastructure on military bases. It also represents a compromise between political factions by reducing climate and diversity initiatives in line with Trump’s policies, while enhancing congressional oversight of the Pentagon and revoking outdated war authorizations. Nonetheless, some conservative members expressed dissatisfaction, feeling the bill does not sufficiently reduce U.S. foreign commitments.
“We need a ready, capable and lethal fighting force because the threats to our nation, especially those from China, are more complex and challenging than at any point in the last 40 years,” stated Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee.
Key lawmakers have highlighted that the bill aims to reform the Pentagon’s weapon acquisition process, prioritizing speed to address longstanding delays by the defense industry. This reform is also a major objective for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Rep. Adam Smith, the leading Democrat on the armed services committee, described the bill as “the most ambitious swing at acquisition reform that we’ve taken.”
Still, Smith lamented that the bill does not do as much as Democrats would like to rein in the Trump administration but called it “a step in the right direction towards reasserting the authority of Congress.”
“The biggest concern I have is that the Pentagon, being run by Secretary Hegseth and by President Trump, is simply not accountable to Congress or accountable to the law,” he said.
The legislation next heads to the Senate, where leaders are working to pass the bill before lawmakers depart Washington for a holiday break.
Several senators on both sides of the aisle have criticized the bill for not doing enough to restrict military flights over Washington. They had pushed for reforms after a midair collision this year between an Army helicopter and a jetliner killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board and families of the victims have also voiced opposition to that section of the bill, raising concerns that it would make the airspace more dangerous.
Here’s what the defense bill does as it makes its way through Congress.
Boat strike videos and congressional oversight
Lawmakers included a provision that would cut Hegseth’s travel budget by a quarter until the Pentagon provides Congress with unedited video of the strikes against alleged drug boats near Venezuela. Lawmakers are asserting their oversight role after a Sept. 2 strike where the U.S. military fired on two survivors who were holding on to a boat that had partially been destroyed.
The bill also demands that Hegseth allow Congress to review the orders for the strikes.
Reaffirm commitments to Europe and Korea
Trump’s ongoing support for Ukraine and other allies in Eastern Europe has been under doubt over the last year, but lawmakers included several positions meant to keep up U.S. support for countering Russian aggression in the region.
The defense bill requires the Pentagon to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment stationed in Europe unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests. Around 80,000 to 100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. It also authorizes $400 million for each of the next two years to manufacture weapons to be sent to Ukraine.
Additionally, there is a provision to keep U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, setting the minimum requirement at 28,500.
Cuts to climate and diversity initiatives
The bill makes $1.6 billion in cuts to climate change-related spending, the House Armed Services Committee said. U.S. military assessments have long found that climate change is a threat to national security, with bases being pummeled by hurricanes or routinely flooded.
The bill also would save $40 million by repealing diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and trainings, the committee said. The position of chief diversity officer would be cut, for example.
Iraq War resolution repeal
Congress is putting an official end to the war in Iraq by repealing the authorization for the 2003 invasion. Supporters in both the House and Senate say the repeal is crucial to prevent future abuses and to reinforce that Iraq is now a strategic partner of the U.S.
The 2002 resolution has been rarely used in recent years. But the first Trump administration cited it as part of its legal justification for a 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Suleimani.
Lifting final Syria sanctions
Congress would permanently remove U.S. sanctions put on Syria after the Trump administration temporarily lifted many penalties.
Lawmakers imposed economically crippling sanctions on the country in 2019 to punish former leader Bashar Assad for human rights abuses during the nearly 14-year civil war. After Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa led a successful insurgency to depose Assad, he is seeking to rebuild his nation’s economy.
Advocates of a permanent repeal have said international companies are unlikely to invest in projects needed for the country’s reconstruction as long as there is a threat of sanctions returning.
Lack of IVF coverage
Democrats criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for stripping a provision from the bill to expand coverage of in vitro fertilization for active duty personnel. An earlier version covered the medical procedure, known as IVF, which helps people facing infertility have children.
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