Washington — The House is poised to vote Wednesday on a $900 billion defense policy bill as both chambers race to pass it before the end of the year.
Lawmakers on Sunday evening unveiled the 3,086-page compromise bill, which authorizes $8 billion more than what the Trump administration requested.
“This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement as the bill was released.
The annual must-pass legislation has historically been approved on a bipartisan basis. But that doesn’t prevent squabbling among individual members. Last week, GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York criticized Johnson, accusing the Louisiana Republican of blocking a provision that would require the FBI to notify Congress when it opens counterintelligence investigations into candidates running for federal office. The provision was ultimately included after the public spat.
Johnson has also received criticism after a provision that would have expanded IVF coverage for military families was stripped from the measure.
The legislation aims to codify more than dozen of President Trump’s executive orders, including authorizing the use of active-duty troops along the U.S-Mexico border, deploying a “Golden Dome” to protect against missile and other advanced aerial attacks and prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Defense Department.
Under the bill, all service members would receive a 3.8% pay raise.
The bill also includes language that prohibits transgender women from participating in women’s athletic programs or activities at military service academies — an issue Republicans have leaned into heavily in recent years.
Some conservatives have pushed back on the inclusion of aid for Ukraine. The bill includes $400 million for military assistance to Ukraine in both fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Also tucked into the bill is a provision that would withhold part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon hands over footage of the strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela. It would withhold a quarter of Hegseth’s office’s travel funds until the House and Senate Armed Services committees receive “unedited video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command.”
The provision also requires the Pentagon to submit overdue reports, including on lessons learned from the Ukraine war, before the funds are released.
“That was a bipartisan shot across the bow to Donald Trump to hand over the tapes, done by Republicans. I salute them for their courage for bucking Trump and bucking Hegseth,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Tuesday on the Senate floor.
The legislation would also repeal the legal justifications used to attack Iraq in 1991 and 2003. Congress adopted the 2002 authorization ahead of the March 2003 invasion of Iraq that led to the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The 1991 authorization was approved during the Gulf War.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have long questioned leaving the authorizations in place, arguing it allows presidents to abuse their power. In statements praising the inclusion of the repeals, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana said it was time to “close the book” on the wars.
The bill also repeals sanctions on Syria under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. And it includes provisions that limit the administration’s ability to reduce troop levels in Europe.
The House Rules Committee swiftly advanced the measure Tuesday, teeing up a floor vote Wednesday afternoon.
A vote on the rule on the House floor could be a hurdle for House GOP leaders, who can afford few Republican defections. Some Republicans have pledged to oppose the bill, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who cited her refusal to support “foreign aid and foreign militaries and foreign wars.” Rep. Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, also indicated he’s considering voting against the legislation, pointing to wins for Democrats within the bill. But some Democrats are expected to support the measure on the final vote.
Should it pass the House, the bill would then go to the Senate for approval.