The $1.15 trillion defense spending bill secured a hard-won legislative victory in the House on Wednesday, passing by a wafer-thin 216-212 margin with 209 Republicans and 205 Democrats voting in favor. However, the measure failed to advance in the Senate on July 14 in a vote of 50-46, falling short of the 60-vote threshold required for floor consideration. According to Reuters, the Senate vote saw lawmakers voting largely along party lines, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stating the NDAA cannot become a permission slip for the recklessness occurring in Iran. Democrats have repeatedly pushed for greater congressional oversight over the war, which started when the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28 and has led to the deaths of 17 American service members in its fifth month.
At $250 billion above last year's allocation, the funding boost includes comprehensive pay raises for troops across all ranks. The bill authorizes 7% pay increases for ranks E-5 and below, 6% for E-6 through O-3, and 5% for ranks O-4 and higher, as reported by The Associated Press. House Speaker Mike Johnson framed the increase as overdue recognition for service members, while also linking the money to bolstering America's nuclear deterrent and advancing the Golden Dome missile shield. The legislation also includes a proposal to formally rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating the cost at up to $125 million. Additionally, the bill mandates reverting the names of nine southern military bases to those recommended in 2023 to replace Confederate honorifics.
Republicans on the Armed Services Committee argued the funds were essential to replenish weapons stocks run down by the ongoing campaign against Iran, according to Reuters. However, Democrats were far less charitable about the funding increase. Representative Jerry Nadler said handing Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ' the requested funding. Representative Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, criticized the $1.6 trillion price tag as a 60% increase in the defense budget at a time when the country is running a nearly $2 trillion deficit. Smith stated he will not support making massive cuts to critically important domestic programs and slashing taxes to meet defense needs. During Wednesday's session, Representative Brendan Boyle accused the bill of funding 'President Trump's Iran war, a reckless decision with absolutely no plan on how to achieve victory'. The House Republican leaders decided to attach the voter ID measure to most major legislation in an effort to jam the Senate, where it's dead on arrival. Trump has aggressively pushed for the passage of the SAVE America Act ahead of the pivotal fall midterms, stating he will not sign any other legislation until it reaches his desk.
The bill comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators that the cost of the Iran war has risen to $37.5 billion, with the conflict stretching into its fifth month. Hegseth testified during a hearing to request $67.1 billion in supplemental money for the war and other DoD expenses. The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last month to end the war and enter into a 60-day period of negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program and sanctions relief. However, both nations began trading strikes this month after accusing the other of violating a June ceasefire. In total, 17 service members have died and 447 have been injured as part of Operation Epic Fury, according to the Pentagon's system. The legislation also authorizes significant military expansion, with the Army adding 15,000 soldiers, the Navy 13,000 sailors, the Air Force 8,900 airmen, the Space Force 2,800 guardians and 1,400 Marines.
The NDAA itself would allocate more than $1 trillion to the Department of Defense (DoD), as well as roughly $40 billion to the Department of Energy to oversee the U.S.'s nuclear arsenal and more than $10 billion for other military matters. Earlier this year, the President proposed increasing DoD spending to $1.5 trillion—an increase of about $600 billion from last year. On Wednesday, the House also adopted a $95 billion budget proposal focused on Trump's policy priorities, including the war in Iran, which was supported only by Republicans while Democrats and two GOP members objected. As reported by Reuters, Representative Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the bill represents the first time in 40 years that Congress has presented a budget that accounts for the true cost of American deterrence. However, the measure has become snarled in tensions over defense spending levels and the SAVE America Act, with previous House Republicans stalling progress on June 30 in an effort to push for stronger action on the restrictive voter ID legislation.
