House passes $1.15 trillion defense bill amid Iran war

House Republicans pushed through a $1.15 trillion defense policy bill Wednesday, advancing a normally bipartisan measure on a near-party-line vote as the war with Iran, voting restrictions and the size of Pentagon spending divided the chamber.

The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, passed 216-212, with six Democrats joining Republicans in support. Seven Republicans opposed it, The Guardian reported. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its path is uncertain because most legislation needs 60 votes to advance and Democrats have already blocked a Senate version while demanding limits on President Donald Trump’s war effort in Iran.

Republicans described the bill as “a generational investment in America’s national defense” that “builds the fighting force of the future by prioritizing innovation, lethality, and readiness.” Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said before the vote that the measure reflects the real cost of military strength.

“For the first time in 40 years, we’ve been presented a budget that accounts for the true cost of American deterrence,” Rogers said. “This topline begins to reverse the damage caused by decades of underinvestment in the US military.”

The bill includes 5% to 7% pay raises for service members and would codify the name “Department of War” for the Pentagon, according to The Guardian. It is a key part of Trump’s plan to spend $1.5 trillion on the military in fiscal 2027.

Democrats objected to both the cost and the policy provisions attached to the bill. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said he could not support the legislation because of its broader budget trade-offs.

“The problem with this year’s defense authorization bill is that it comes with the inclusion of $1.15 trillion in discretionary spending,” Smith said. “I cannot and do not support meeting these needs by making massive cuts to critically important domestic programs and slashing taxes.”

Smith also said the bill had been “loaded with toxic, partisan amendments that continue the rightwing culture war assault on the LGBTQ+ community and preempt state and local laws under the guise of military readiness,” The Guardian reported.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democratic appropriator, said the NDAA “used to be a consistently bipartisan, substantive piece of legislation” but had become “just another partisan bill.” Some Democrats also opposed provisions that would deepen cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli defense industries. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called one such amendment “an existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy.”

The debate unfolded as the U.S.-Iran conflict continued. NPR reported that efforts toward a resolution have collapsed as the two sides trade attacks. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the war has cost taxpayers $37.5 billion. At least four U.S. service members have been killed in recent days, bringing the U.S. death toll to 18, and nearly 500 have been injured. AAA said the average U.S. gasoline price is again above $4 a gallon.

Separately Wednesday, House Republicans approved a $95 billion budget blueprint on a 216-214 vote. NPR reported that it includes more than $70 billion for the Iran war, $12 billion in aid for farmers and money to implement provisions of the SAVE America Act, Trump’s election overhaul bill. The Guardian described the war funding as $73 billion. The plan uses reconciliation, a procedure that could allow it to pass the Senate without meeting the usual 60-vote threshold.

The House also voted 232-198 to advance the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would bar lawmakers from acquiring new individual stocks while in office while allowing them to keep existing holdings, reinvest dividends and sell stocks with disclosure. Good-government groups opposed the measure, saying it leaves major loopholes. Most Democrats opposed it, citing those concerns and an unrelated voter ID provision attached to the package.