House passes defense bill that would take total military spending past $1-trillion mark

Washington DC - The US House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed a defense bill that would put total military spending at over $1 trillion.

The US House narrowly passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which added to President Donald Trump's budget bill, would take military spending past the $1-trillion mark.
The US House narrowly passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which added to President Donald Trump's budget bill, would take military spending past the $1-trillion mark.  © AFP/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The National Defense Authorization Act passed in a 231-196 vote largely along party lines, although 17 Democrats also gave their approval.

A number of far-right amendments were introduced to the bill, including a ban on gender-related medical treatments being covered by the Pentagon's health insurance.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced an amendment which would have forced President Donald Trump's administration to release the Epstein files, but it was narrowly defeated.

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The $883 billion mandated by the bill would come on top of a further $150 billion earmarked in Trump's "Big Beautiful" spending package passed in July. It includes funding for some of the president's most infamous obsessions, such as a so-called "Golden Dome" missile defense system.

Democratic senators slammed the Republicans for building an NDAA bill that they said politicized defense.

"They included countless partisan amendments that sought to score points in a right-wing culture war rather than focus on the real needs of our service members and their families," said Democratic Congressman Adam Smith in a statement.

Cover photo: REUTERS

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