The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday, advancing the $901 billion Pentagon policy bill to the Senate with a bipartisan 312–112 vote. Earlier, a procedural rule nearly failed but passed 215–211 after four Republicans—Anna Paulina Luna, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tim Burchett, and Lauren Boebert—switched their votes to “yes.” All Democrats opposed that procedural vote. The House and Senate had already merged their versions into a negotiated package, meaning the bill is expected to move smoothly to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The bill faced opposition from hardline conservatives who objected to including $400 million per year in Ukraine funding and removing a provision banning the Federal Reserve from creating a central bank digital currency. They argued that a government-issued digital dollar could threaten financial privacy and expand federal surveillance powers. The legislation also includes provisions limiting Trump’s ability to reduce troop levels abroad or pause weapons shipments to Ukraine.
Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted several GOP priorities in the final bill, including a 4 percent pay raise for enlisted service members, elimination of diversity and inclusion programs, cuts to outdated Pentagon programs, and new measures targeting China. Another provision—championed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan—requires the FBI to disclose when it investigates presidential or other federal candidates. The bill also withholds a quarter of War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless the Pentagon releases footage of strikes on suspected narco-trafficking boats near Venezuela.
Notably absent from the final package are provisions covering in vitro fertilization for military families and measures that would restrict state-level regulation of artificial intelligence. A major new section creates an outbound investment screening system requiring U.S. companies to notify the Treasury Department when investing in certain sensitive technologies in China or other countries of concern.