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Home Of representatives Permission has been granted to clean up Defense Policy Bill, which authorized a substantial sum of $900 billion military Program. The legislation includes pay increases for service personnel and is intended to improve Department of Defense Buys weapons.
Amid rising tensions between the Republican-controlled Congress and the President, the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by a significant margin of 312–112 votes. donald trumpAdministration in relation to military management. Despite this friction, white House Has indicated “strong support” for the must-pass bill, linking it to Trump’s national security agenda.
The sweeping 3,000-page document orders improvements in housing and facilities for many military members, as well as a 3.8 percent pay raise. It also represents a political compromise that includes cuts to climate and diversity initiatives championed by Trump, as well as increased congressional oversight of the Pentagon and revocation of several longstanding war authorizations.
Additional provisions of the bill call for greater transparency on boat attacks in the Caribbean and reaffirm support for European allies, including Ukraine. However, radical conservatives have expressed disappointment, arguing that the legislation does not go far enough in reducing US commitments abroad.
“We need a ready, capable and lethal fighting force because the threats to our country, particularly from China, are more complex and challenging than at any time in the last 40 years,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, GOP chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Lawmakers who oversee the military said the bill would change the way the Pentagon buys weapons, with an emphasis on speed after years of delays by the defense industry. It is also a major priority for the Secretary of Defense pete hegsethRepresentative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the armed services panel, called the bill “the most ambitious step forward in acquisition reform we’ve ever taken,”
Nevertheless, 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 toward reestablishing Congress’s authority.”
“My biggest concern is that the Pentagon, run by Secretary Hegseth and President Trump, is not accountable to Congress or accountable to the law,” he said.
The legislation will then head to the Senate, where leaders are working to pass the bill before leaving for Washington for the holidays.
Several senators on both sides of the aisle have criticized the bill for not doing enough to restrict military flights over Washington. He pushed for reforms this year after a mid-air collision between a military helicopter and a jetliner near Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport killed all 67 people on board. The National Transportation Safety Board and families of victims have also voiced opposition to that section of the bill, raising concerns that it would make airspace more dangerous.
Here’s what the defense bill looks like as it makes its way through Congress.
Boat attack video and Congress surveillance
Lawmakers included a provision that would cut Hegseth’s travel budget by a quarter unless the Pentagon provides Congress with unedited video of strikes against alleged drug boats near Venezuela. Lawmakers are emphasizing their monitoring role after the September 2 attack, where US forces fired on two survivors who were holding a boat that was partially destroyed.
The bill also demands that Hegseth allow Congress to review strike orders.
Reaffirm commitments to Europe and Korea
Trump’s ongoing support for Ukraine and other allies in Eastern Europe has been in doubt over the past year, but lawmakers have included a number of positions seeking to maintain 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 deployed in Europe until NATO allies are consulted and a determination is made that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests. There are usually about 80,000 to 100,000 American troops present on European soil. It also authorizes $400 million over each of the next two years for the manufacture of weapons to be shipped to Ukraine.
Additionally, there is a provision to keep US troops stationed in South Korea, setting the minimum requirement at 28,500.
Cuts to climate and diversity initiatives
The House Armed Services Committee said the bill cuts climate change-related spending by $1.6 billion. U.S. military assessments have long found that climate change poses a threat to national security, as hurricanes or regular flooding threaten bases.
The committee said the bill would save $40 million by repealing diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and trainings. For example, the position of chief diversity officer will be cut.
Iraq war resolution repeal
Congress is officially ending the war in Iraq by revoking authorization for the 2003 invasion. Supporters in both the House and Senate say repeal is important to prevent future abuses and reinforce that Iraq is now a strategic partner of the United States.
The 2002 resolution has been rarely used in recent years. But the Trump administration previously cited it as part of its legal justification for the 2020 US drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Lifting of final Syria sanctions
Congress will permanently lift US sanctions imposed on Syria after the Trump administration temporarily lifted several 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 uprising to oust Assad, he is looking to rebuild his country’s economy.
Advocates of permanent repeal have said that international companies are unlikely to invest in projects needed to rebuild the country as long as the threat of a return to sanctions remains.
Lack of IVF coverage
Democrats criticized Johnson for removing a provision from the bill to expand coverage of in vitro fertilization to active duty personnel. An earlier version covered the medical procedure, known as IVF, which helps people experiencing infertility have children.