WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a major defense policy bill Wednesday that would authorize a historic $1.15 trillion in national security spending and formally rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War, in line with a request from President Donald Trump.
The bill would also give military service members a pay raise next year ranging from 5% to 7%, depending on rank.
The National Defense Authorization Act is typically one of the most bipartisan pieces of legislation Congress considers each year — but not this time. The bill passed on a narrow 216-212 vote, reflecting a sharp partisan divide.
Democrats raised objections to the large Pentagon spending increases at a time when Republicans are pushing cuts to many non-defense programs through separate legislation. They also took issue with several conservative policy provisions included in the bill.
Among those provisions is a ban on gender-related medical care under TRICARE, the military’s health program. The bill also makes it easier for service members to carry privately owned firearms on military bases, following the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The partisan tensions were further inflamed when Republican leaders attached Trump’s elections overhaul bill — the SAVE America Act — to the defense legislation after it passed. Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing to include it in must-pass bills as a way to pressure the Senate, where some Republican members are frustrated the chamber has not taken it up.
Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, acknowledged the disagreements but framed Wednesday’s vote as just one step in a longer process. He pledged to work across the aisle toward a final version that can pass both chambers and be signed into law.
Rogers argued the country must reverse what he called years of underinvestment in the military and the defense industrial base.
“This bill will do that and much more,” Rogers said. “It will build the ready, capable and lethal fighting force we need to deter China and other adversaries.”
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, warned that when factoring in separate funding efforts for the war in Iran and weapons stockpile replenishment, total defense spending could approach $1.6 trillion.
“The American people are struggling to pay their bills and we’re going to put $1.6 trillion into the defense budget. It’s not a reasonable thing to ask,” Smith said.
Smith also expressed alarm about the ongoing war with Iran, saying that supporting the defense bill amounts to “de facto supporting this war with no end in sight.”
“We are in an incredibly, incredibly dangerous time,” Smith said. “I want to maintain the bipartisan nature of this bill. I do. And I know that the chairman does. But if we’re going to do this, we’re going to need some Republicans to stand up to the president of the United States and say, ‘No. No, we’re not going to get you $1.6 trillion. No, we’re not just going to give you a blank check for a war that is totally out of control.’”
It’s worth noting that the spending levels in the bill won’t actually take effect until a separate defense appropriations bill is passed by Congress. The Senate has not yet approved its own version of the defense measure, and a final bill may not be ready until after the midterm elections.
The White House praised the spending levels in the House bill and the Department of War designation, saying it reflects the nation’s “willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our nation.” Trump had already issued an executive order last year directing the name change, but only Congress has the authority to make it official. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the renaming could cost taxpayers up to $125 million.
The White House also indicated it has concerns about certain provisions in the bill, including one it says would limit the president’s authority over naming military installations and property. Administration officials said they would work with Congress before a final version is sent to the president.
The issue of military base names has been contentious in recent years. In 2023, seven Army bases that had been named after Confederate leaders were renamed as part of a national conversation about race in America. Last year, those bases reverted to names honoring other service members who happen to share the same Confederate surnames.
