WASHINGTON — The House voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday that authorizes $900 billion in military programs, including a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys weapons.
The bill's passage comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump's administration over the management of the military.
The annual National Defense Authorization Act typically gained bipartisan backing, and the White House signaled "strong support" for the must-pass legislation, saying it is in line with Trump's national security agenda.
Yet tucked into the more than 3,000-page bill are several measures that push back against the Department of Defense, including a demand for more information on boat strikes in the Caribbean and support for allies in Europe, such as Ukraine.
Overall, the sweeping bill calls for a 3.8% pay raise for many military members as well as housing and facility improvements on military bases. It also strikes a compromise between the political parties — cutting climate and diversity efforts in line with Trump's agenda, while boosting congressional oversight of the Pentagon and repealing several old war authorizations.
Still, hard-line conservatives said they were frustrated that the bill does not do more to cut U.S. commitments overseas.
"We need a ready, capable and lethal fighting force because the threats to our nation, especially those from China, are more complex and challenging than at any point in the last 40 years," said Rep. Mike Rogers, the GOP chair of the House Armed Services Committee.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens Wednesday during remarks on the sidelines of the AUKUS Defense Ministers' Ministerial meeting at the Pentagon in Washington.
Lawmakers overseeing the military said the bill would change how the Pentagon buys weapons, with an emphasis on speed after years of delay by the defense industry. It's also a key priority for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the armed services panel, called the bill "the most ambitious swing at acquisition reform that we've taken." He lamented that it does not do as much as Democrats would like to rein in the Trump administration, but called it "a step in the right direction towards reasserting the authority of Congress."
"The biggest concern I have is that the Pentagon, being run by Secretary Hegseth and by President Trump, is simply not accountable to Congress or accountable to the law," he said.
The seal is seen Wednesday on a podium at the Pentagon in Washington.
The legislation next heads to the Senate, where leaders are working to pass the bill before lawmakers depart Washington for a holiday break.
Several senators on both sides of the aisle criticized the bill for not doing enough to restrict military flights over Washington. They pushed for reforms after a midair collision this year between an Army helicopter and a jetliner killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft near Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board also voiced opposition to that section of the bill.
Here's what the defense bill does as it makes its way through Congress.
Boat strike videos and congressional oversight
Lawmakers included a provision that would cut Hegseth's travel budget by a quarter until the Pentagon provides Congress with unedited video of the strikes against alleged drug boats near Venezuela. Lawmakers are asserting their oversight role after a Sept. 2 strike where the U.S. military fired on two survivors who were holding on to a boat that partially was destroyed.
The bill also demands that Hegseth allow Congress to review the orders for the strikes.
Reaffirm commitments to Europe and Korea
Trump's support for Ukraine and other allies in Eastern Europe was under doubt over the last year, but lawmakers included several positions meant to keep up 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 stationed in Europe unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests. About 80,000 to 100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. It also authorizes $400 million for each of the next two years to manufacture weapons to be sent to Ukraine.
Additionally, there is a provision to keep U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, setting the minimum requirement at 28,500.
Cuts to climate and diversity initiatives
The bill makes $1.6 billion in cuts to climate change-related spending, the House Armed Services Committee said. U.S. military assessments long found that climate change is a threat to national security, with bases pummeled by hurricanes or routinely flooded.
The bill also would save $40 million by repealing diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and trainings, the committee said. The position of chief diversity officer would be cut, for example.
Iraq War resolution repeal
Congress seeks an official end to the war in Iraq by repealing the authorization for the 2003 invasion. Supporters in both the House and Senate say the repeal is crucial to prevent future abuses and to reinforce that Iraq is now a strategic partner of the U.S.
The 2002 resolution was rarely used in recent years but the first Trump administration cited it as part of its legal justification for a 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Suleimani.
Lifting final Syria sanctions
Congress would permanently remove U.S. sanctions put on Syria after the Trump administration temporarily lifted many 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 insurgency to depose Assad, he seeks to rebuild his nation's economy.
Advocates of a permanent repeal said international companies are unlikely to invest in projects needed for the country's reconstruction as long as there is a threat of sanctions returning.
Lack of IVF coverage
A provision was stripped from the bill to expand coverage of in vitro fertilization for active duty personnel. An earlier version covered the medical procedure, known as IVF, which helps people facing infertility have children.
50 historical photos of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Three U.S. battleships are hit from the air during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Japan's bombing of U.S. military bases at Pearl Harbor brings the U.S. into World War II. From left are: USS West Virginia, severely damaged; USS Tennessee, damaged; and USS Arizona, sunk. (AP Photo)
The battleship USS California is afire and listing to port in the Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 1941 file photo, smoke rises from the battleship USS Arizona as it sinks during a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (AP File Photo)
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 1941 file photo, a Japanese plane goes into its last dive as it heads toward the ground in flames after it was hit by Naval anti-aircraft fire during a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (AP Photo)
In this aerial photo provided by the U.S. Navy, smoke from the burning battleship Arizona spreads a pall over Pearl Harbor naval base, Dec. 7, 1941, as a Japanese plane dodged through anti-aircraft fire to drive home the Japanese attack that launched a war on the U.S. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 1941 photo made available by the U.S. Navy, a small boat rescues a seaman from the USS West Virginia burning in the foreground in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after Japanese aircraft attacked the military installation. (U.S. Navy via AP, File)
FILE - American ships burn during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in this Dec. 7, 1941 file photo. (AP Photo, File)
Half a house was left of this resident of the Asian section of Honolulu in Japan's surprise bombing which wreaked havoc in nearby Pearl Harbor. Native and Japanese cyclists watch fireman pour water on wreckage on Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
In this photo provided by the Department of Defense, U.S. aircraft destroyed as a result of the Japanese bombing on Pearl Harbor is shown, Dec. 7, 1941. Heap of demolished hanger in background Army amphibian in foreground. (AP Photo/DOD)
Flaming oil throws a billow of smoke skyward in the Japanese attack on Hickam Field, Pearl Harbor, U.S. Air base near Honolulu, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
A bombed U.S. Army truck with wheel still ablaze after the surprise attack, Dec. 7, 1941, which touched off a new war in the Pacific. (AP Photo)
U.S. Army barracks burning after the surprise attack at Hickam Field, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
A Japanese plane, braving American anti-aircraft fire, proceeds toward “battleship row,” Pearl Harbor, after other bombers had hit USS. Arizona, from which smoke billows, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
An unidentified officers' wife, investigating explosion and seeing smoke pall in distance at 8:15 am Dec. 7, 1941, heard neighbor Mary Naiden, then an army hostess, exclaim “There are red circles on those planes overhead. They are Japanese!" A boy and a woman carrying a dog flee toward quarters. (AP Photo/Mary Naiden)
The wreckage of the U.S.S. Oklahoma as it lies in the mud at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii after the Japanese aerial attack on Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, general view of the burning and damaged ships of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, during the Japanese aerial attack on Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
The Lunalilo High School situated near the Waikiki district which was almost totally destroyed by fire from a bomb which hit the roof at the center part of the main building on Dec. 7, 1941. Four fire companies fought to save the school. Several homes all around the school caught fire - but were saved by the fire fighters. All families for blocks around brought their personal belongings outside of their homes, fearing another attack. (AP Photo)
The pilot of this Japanese plane met flaming death in the first surprise attack on the principal Hawaiian island of Oahu on Dec. 7, 1941, when his plane was shot down, rammed a residence and set the house and the one adjoining on fire. In the foreground is part of the plane wreckage. The pilot, later established as being at least six feet tall, was cremated. Japanese families resided in the two houses, which were destroyed. (AP Photo)
Battleship Arizona at pearl Harbor, December 1941. The photo was taken shortly after the battleship was bombed and destroyed during the surprise attack by Japanese forces, December 7, 1941. The vessel at right is a rescue tug. Flag still flying the ship is resting on the bottom of the ocean with decks flooded. (AP Photo)
This photo shows the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The USS Arizona is pictured in flames after the attack. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
Two ships are seen burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. (AP Photo)
Heavy black smoke billows as oil fuel burns from shattered tanks on ships that were hit during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. Visible through the murk is the U.S. battleship Maryland, center, and the hulk of the capsized USS Oklahoma to the right of it. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
Torpedoed and bombed by the Japanese, the battleship USS West Virginia begins to sink after suffering heavy damage, center, while the USS Maryland, left, is still afloat in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. The capsized USS Oklahoma is at right. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
The destroyer USS Shaw explodes after being hit by bombs during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors stand among wrecked airplanes at Ford Island Naval Air Station as they watch the explosion of the USS Shaw in the background, during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
Rescue workers help evacuate the Lunalilo High School in Honolulu after the roof of the main building was hit by a bomb during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
Smoke still fogged the air at Pearl harbor, Dec. 7, 1941 as these tractors tugged at what the Navy said was a Japanese two-man submarine, not shown, pulling it up on the beach for inspection after it was disabled in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (AP Photo)
A mass of twisted metal wreckage lay along a Honolulu street after the city had been attacked by Japanese planes Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
A small crowd inspects the damage, both inside and outside, after a Japanese bomb hit the residence of Paul Goo during the raid on Honolulu Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
U.S. Navy seamen examine the wreckage of a Japanese torpedo plane shot down at Pearl harbor during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
Wreckage, identified by the U.S. Navy as a Japanese torpedo plane , was salvaged from the bottom of Pearl Harbor following the surprise attack Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
The wing of a Japanese bomber shot down on the grounds of the Naval Hospital at Honolulu, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
An American Seaman looks at the charred corpse of a Japanese flier brought up from the bottom of Pearl Harbor where he crashed with his burning plane during the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941 in Hawaii. (AP Photo)
Japanese plane, proceeds toward "Battleship Row" at Pearl Harbor after other bombers had hit USS Arizona, from which smoke billows, Dec. 7, 1941. Photo was taken from the yard of Army's Hickam Field Quarters by Mrs. Mary Naiden of New York City. (AP Photo)
The shattered wreckage of American planes bombed by the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbor is strewn on Hickam Field, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
The battleship USS Arizona belches smoke as it topples over into the sea during Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941. The ship sank with more than 80 percent of its 1,500-man crew, including Rear Admiral Issac C. Kidd. The attack, which left 2,343 Americans dead and 916 missing, broke the backbone of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and forced America out of a policy of isolationism. President Franklin D. Roosvelt announced that it was "a date which will live in infamy" and Congress declared war on Japan the morning after. This was the first attack on American territory since 1812. (AP Photo)
Planes are lined up at Hickham Field, Air Corps post on Oahu, Hawaii, in an undated image. Reports said that a Japanese bomb struck the field. Washington made the announcement Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
Believed to be the first bomb dropped on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in the sneak-attack on Dec. 7, 1941, this picture was found torn to pieces at Yokusuka Base by photographer's mate 2/C Martin J. Shemanski of Plymouth, Pa. One Japanese plane is shown pulling out of a dive near bomb eruption (center) and another the air at upper right. (AP Photo)
Japanese family move their household goods out on their lawn, for fear of the fire spreading to their home from a fire caused by a falling bomb only a half block away during the air raid on Oahu, Hawaii on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
Black smoke pours from the U.S. Destroyer USS Shaw after a direct hit by bombs during the surprise aerial attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. Defenders on the pier at left throw water into the blazing wreckage. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
Smoke clouds the sky over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, as two sailors crouch with rifles on the pier at the submarine base trying to locate an enemy to fire on during World War II. Submarines berthed nearby are USS Tautog and USS Narwhal. (AP Photo)
Firemen and civilians rush to the scene with fire hoses to save homes and stores in the Japanese and Chinese sections of Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. As Japanese aviators rained bombs on Pearl Harbor, starting war in the Pacific, offshore properties are also wrecked and burned. (AP Photo)
Youths inspect the wreckage of a Japanese bomber, Dec. 17, 1941 brought down by a United States P-40 plane during the Dec 7, 1941 attack on Oahu, Hawaii. (AP Photo)
Students of the Lunalilo High School in the Waikiki district of Honolulu watch their school burn after the roof of the main building, at center, is hit by a bomb during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)
This is one of the first pictures of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. A P-40 plane which was machine-gunned while on the ground. (AP Photo)
In this image provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, destroyers in drydock at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii are battered by bombs after Japanese sneak attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Background in dock is battleship Pennsylvania, which suffered only minor damage. Destroyers are Downes, left, and Cassin, right. Machinery and fittings were transferred to new hulls and the destroyers were never stricken from Navy's active list. (AP Photo/U.S. Department of Defense)
In this photo provided by the Department of Defense, a battered American flag flies in the foreground at the military barracks at Hickam Field near Honolulu, during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo/DOD)
Rider Joy Cummings examines a Japanese cherry tree that was cut down with the words "To hell with those Japanese," carved into it, Dec. 10, 1941. Irving C. Root, Parks Commissioner, termed it vandalism. In the background is the recently completed Jefferson Memorial. (AP Photo)
In this photo provided by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, wreckage of a U.S. Army pursuit ship is seen after the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo/U.S. Army Signal Corps)
Ruth Lee, hostess at a Miami Chinese restaurant, seen Dec. 15, 1941, doesn't want to be mistaken for Japanese when she sunbathes on her days off, and brings along a Chinese flag. Miss Lee is actually American-born. (AP Photo)
