▶ Watch Video: CBS News Live 3
Washington — The House on Wednesday approved a $900 billion defense policy bill as both chambers race to pass it before the end of the year.
The legislation — which sets lawmakers’ defense priorities and authorizes spending levels for the Defense Department and national security programs — cleared the lower chamber in a bipartisan vote with 312 voting in favor and 112 in opposition.
The final hours before passage were not without some drama as House Speaker Mike Johnson struggled to maintain control of his fractious majority.
A five-minute procedural vote stretched into an hour as a handful of conservatives voted against advancing the measure and a few moderate Republicans withheld their votes, setting up the bill for potential failure. The holdouts ultimately came around to help it advance, with conservatives saying they secured assurances on their priorities.
Lawmakers on Sunday evening unveiled the 3,086-page compromise bill, which authorizes $291 billion for operations and maintenance; $234 billion for military personnel and health care; $162 billion for procurement; and $146 billion for research and development, according to a GOP summary of the legislation. It also authorizes $54 billion for military construction and nuclear programs.
The lead-up to its unveiling was also marred by GOP infighting as 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 also received criticism from Democrats after a provision that would have expanded IVF coverage for military families was stripped from the measure.
Alex Kent / Bloomberg via Getty Images
The legislation aims to codify more than a 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.
