House Clears $1.15 Trillion Defense Bill and Iran War Budget in Pre-Recess Sprint
The House narrowly passed a $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill and a companion budget blueprint teeing up more than $70 billion for the war with Iran, sending both to an uncertain fate in the Senate as lawmakers rush toward the August recess.
The House had one of its busiest days of the year on Wednesday, July 22, clearing a stack of major bills before members leave Washington for a recess of more than a month. House Republicans passed $1.1 trillion in funding for the military on Wednesday, in a final flurry of activity before leaving Washington for a more than month-long recess.
The centerpiece was the annual defense policy bill. The House narrowly passed its version of a massive defense policy bill on Wednesday, despite Democrats' concerns about its huge price tag, the Iran war and a provision that would boost Pentagon ties to Israel. The fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which authorizes an unprecedented $1.15 trillion in spending for the military, passed the House by 216 to 212. According to The Hill, the members who crossed party lines were Republican Reps. Josh Brecheen (Okla.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Harriet Hageman (Wyo.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Chip Roy (Texas); and Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Adam Gray (Calif.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.). The NDAA is one of the few bills Congress passes every year. According to RedState, the defense bill authorizes pay raises between 5 and 7 percent for military personnel, increases weapons procurement, replenishes depleted stockpiles, and formally renames the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
The bill's path had been rocky. The House adopted a fresh rule on July 21 and opened floor debate on the FY2027 NDAA, three weeks after a June 30 rule collapse. Objections came from both directions: Reps. Massie and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) had sought to strip a section expanding U.S.-Israel defense cooperation, but leaders blocked a floor vote on that amendment.
Alongside the defense bill, Republicans passed a budget framework tied to President Trump's priorities. Per NPR, the framework, which still needs to pass the Senate, outlines more than $70 billion for the Iran war, $12 billion in assistance for farmers and money to implement provisions of the SAVE America Act, President Trump's signature election overhaul bill. The vote was 216 to 214. GOP fiscal hardliners were frustrated that none of the spending called for by the bill would be paid for by spending reductions elsewhere.
The House also passed the Stop Insider Trading Act, aimed at barring members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks. Republican cloakroom records show it passed 232-198, with 13 Democrats joining Republicans, after a motion to recommit failed 211-218.
Both major measures now move to the Senate, where the math is harder. Republicans in the Senate will need support for the bill from Democrats in order to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to pass most legislation through the chamber. Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a version of the bill from coming up for a vote, demanding concessions that curb President Trump's war effort in Iran.
The Senate spent the period working through judicial nominations rather than legislation, confirming Westercamp to the Court of International Trade by 50-48 and lining up confirmation and cloture votes on additional Trump judicial picks, including nominees to the Sixth and Eighth Circuit appeals courts.
One editorial note on sourcing: some secondary trackers reported differing NDAA vote tallies. This digest uses the official House Clerk record of 216-212 (Roll Call 278).
Highlights: - The House passed H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, by 216-212 - (Roll Call 278), with - six Democrats voting for the bill and seven Republicans voting against it. - The House agreed to H. Con. Res. 113, the FY2027 budget resolution, by 216-214 (Roll no. 281), and passed H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, by 232-198 (Roll no. 280). - The Senate confirmed, by 50 yeas to 48 nays, Kara Marie Westercamp of Virginia to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade - , as it continued moving judicial nominations.