Skip to content

House passes $1.15 trillion defense bill, tees up Iran war funds

newsJul 22, 202621459

The House narrowly approved a $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act in a 216 to 212 vote, with six Democrats joining most Republicans and seven Republicans dissenting. The bill codifies several of President Donald Trump’s Pentagon priorities, including a renamed “Department of War” and provisions to deny coverage for gender-affirming care through Tricare, plus an amendment banning transgender girls from girls’ sports at Defense Department schools. House Republicans folded the SAVE America Act into the NDAA, a move Speaker Mike Johnson used to appease hard-right members; that measure would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and an ID to cast a ballot. Democrats opposed the measure as a referendum on the Iran war and on Trump’s defense budget push, with Rep. Adam Smith calling the bill a continuation of support for what he described as a disastrous war. The bill also includes language easing personal firearms on some military installations, mandates to restore certain military base names, new reporting requirements when senior officers are fired, and limits on construction of the proposed Navy “Trump-class” battleship. The House version is not final; major anti-trans provisions and other controversial additions face long odds in the Senate, and lawmakers typically reconcile House and Senate bills before final passage expected in December.

NPR
@npr.org

Republicans passed a more than $1-trillion Pentagon bill alongside a budget blueprint that would let them bypass Democrats and unlock other funds for the Iran war and Trump's election overhaul bill. n.pr/4pxoW2e

1434h ago
3 sources