WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats put the brakes on a $1 trillion annual defense spending bill Tuesday, refusing to let the bipartisan measure move forward as a protest against President Donald Trump’s military campaign in Iran.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer led the opposition, joined by other key Democrats who said they could not back the bill — formally known as the National Defense Authorization Act — while the conflict in Iran stretches into its fifth month with no clear path to an end. The final tally was 50-46, falling short of the votes needed to advance, mostly along party lines.
“The NDAA cannot become a permission slip for that recklessness that we see occurring in Iran,” Schumer, of New York, said before the vote took place.
“Donald Trump does not get to drag the American people deeper into a war he cannot explain and does not know how to end — and then demand that Congress look the other way,” he added.
Tuesday’s Senate vote came one day after the White House formally told Congress it had resumed bombing strikes against Iran, effectively dismantling a fragile ceasefire in the U.S.-Israel led conflict. The renewed fighting has contributed to economic turbulence, including volatile gas prices, as midterm elections approach.
Congress has made more than ten attempts to place limits on the administration’s war-making authority through various war powers resolutions, but none of those efforts have succeeded. The majority of Republicans in both chambers have continued to stand behind Trump.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune defended the defense package, calling it a strong bill and urging his fellow senators to give the military the resources it needs.
“We have an obligation here in Congress to ensure that they have everything they need for whatever the mission may be,” Thune said.
After the bill failed to advance, Thune changed his vote through a procedural move that will allow him to bring the legislation back up for another vote at a later date.
For decades, Congress has reliably passed the annual defense authorization bill, which sets the policy direction for the Defense Department and authorizes the funding needed for military systems, supplies, and operations. This year, the 66th annual version of the bill is facing a two-pronged challenge.
Lawmakers are not only angry about Trump’s military actions in Iran, but many are also pushing back against the White House’s request to dramatically boost Pentagon spending to $1.5 trillion — a steep jump from roughly $900 billion last year. The proposed increase is tied to the administration’s 2027 budget request, which seeks a major generational overhaul of the Defense Department — now referred to by the administration as the Department of War under Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth was set to meet with House Republicans Tuesday evening as Congress also weighs providing additional military funding through a separate budget reconciliation process that Republicans could pass without Democratic support. The White House has asked for $350 billion through that process, though House GOP leaders have suggested the actual figure will likely be far smaller — closer to the $87 billion in supplemental Iran funding the White House requested last month.
Republican deficit hawks remain skeptical of the larger spending figures, even as many in the party support the war effort. The proposed new defense dollars would come on top of an additional $150 billion Republicans already approved for the Pentagon last year as part of Trump’s major tax legislation — money that some lawmakers say has not yet been fully spent or accounted for.
Meanwhile, some senators are pushing to restrict Hegseth’s access to travel funds unless he provides reports they have requested — including information about a deadly strike on a school in Iran at the start of the conflict.
Democrats are pushing for even stronger restrictions, in line with a war powers resolution that would force a halt to all military operations.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a military veteran who flew helicopter combat missions in Iraq, said she would not support the bill unless it included her amendment to end the war.
“Simply throwing more money at an out-of-control military operation is not strategy. It’s a recipe for a forever war,” Duckworth said.
