The House on Wednesday advanced the National Defense Authorization Act for the next fiscal year, sending the massive defense policy bill to the Senate for final passage.
Both Democrats and Republicans voted overwhelmingly to approve the measure, which sets out the nation’s defense policy agenda and authorizes nearly $900 billion in funding for military programs, including a 3.8% pay raise for service members. The Trump administration has urged passage of the bill.
GOP leaders scrambled and worked Wednesday afternoon to persuade their own members to take a critical step to allow a vote on the bill, with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking with the holdouts to negotiate various priorities. But the bill ultimately passed the House, 312-112.
The bill includes a provision that increases pressure on the Pentagon to provide Congress with videos of its strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.
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