The House of Representatives just barely managed to approve the priciest defense authorization bill in American history, and by "barely" I mean they won by four whole votes. As Conservative Brief reported, the chamber voted 216 to 212 on what is normally considered a must pass piece of legislation. Seven Republicans crossed the aisle to oppose it, while six Democrats decided to jump ship and support it. Nothing screams bipartisan unity like single digit defections on both sides.
Meanwhile, the Senate, which theoretically has more Republican votes to work with, has been about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. They adjourned until July 27 without even scheduling a vote on their own version of the bill. The upper chamber already failed to advance it on July 14 when a cloture vote came up short at 50 to 46, needing 60 to proceed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune switched his vote from yes to no after seeing the writing on the wall, a procedural trick that lets him bring it back later. When he plans to do that remains a mystery to everyone, possibly including Thune himself.
The whole mess revolves around one big disagreement: whether the military campaign against Iran should require explicit congressional sign off. Democrats say the defense bill would essentially rubber stamp a conflict that nobody in Congress formally authorized. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer put it plainly before the July 14 vote, saying the NDAA cannot become a permission slip for recklessness in Iran and that Trump does not get to drag Americans deeper into a war he cannot explain.
The stakes here are genuinely significant. If Congress cannot figure this out before October 1, it could hold up $17.5 billion for the Golden Dome missile defense system, $54.6 billion for drone autonomy programs, and pay raises for over 1.3 million active duty service members. That 66 year streak of passing the NDAA annually is suddenly looking very fragile.
The conflict with Iran has already taken a serious toll. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before a Senate committee on July 21 that 18 U.S. service members have lost their lives and the operation has cost roughly $37.5 billion. Time magazine reported that 482 additional troops have been wounded.
The House also passed a nonbinding resolution urging the president to end military operations against Iran by a 214 to 208 vote. Over in the Senate, a binding war powers resolution from Senator Chris Van Hollen that would have required withdrawal within 60 days fell short at 47 to 49. Senator John Fetterman voted against it while Senator Susan Collins voted for it, because nothing about this situation follows predictable party lines.
Oh, and just to keep things spicy, the House also squeaked through a separate $95 billion reconciliation package by a 216 to 214 margin. About $60 billion of that goes toward replenishing Pentagon munitions and covering operational costs tied to the Iran conflict. The full House NDAA authorizes roughly $1.15 trillion total, which still leaves an estimated $350 billion gap from Trump's original $1.5 trillion request. That remaining money is supposed to come from reconciliation legislation that does not yet exist. So basically, Congress is writing IOUs to the Pentagon. What could possibly go wrong?
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