The House is set to vote today on a high-priority defense policy bill as lawmakers race to finalized legislation before year’s end.
On Sunday evening, negotiators released a 3,086-page compromise bill that authorizes $8 billion more than the Trump administration asked for.
In a statement issued with the release, House Speaker Mike Johnson framed the bill as advancing a Peace Through Strength agenda, noting it would codify 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, push back against what he called woke ideology at the Pentagon, strengthen border protection, rejuvenate the defense industrial base, and restore what he describes as the warrior ethos.
Traditionally, this annual must-pass measure enjoys broad bipartisan support. Yet disputes among individual members remain common. For example, last week GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York accused Johnson of blocking a provision that would require the FBI to notify Congress if it opens counterintelligence investigations into candidates for federal office. The provision was added after that public disagreement.
Johnson has also faced backlash after a provision intended to expand IVF coverage for military families was removed from the bill.
The legislation seeks to codify more than a dozen of Trump’s executive orders, including authorizing active-duty troops along the U.S.–Mexico border, deploying a protective “Golden Dome” against missile and other advanced aerial threats, and prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the Defense Department.
Under the bill, all service members would receive a 3.8% pay raise.
It also contains language barring transgender women from participating in women’s athletic programs at military service academies—a stance Republicans have pressed in recent years.
Some conservatives push back on aid for Ukraine, though the bill still includes $400 million in military assistance for Ukraine for both fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Additionally, a provision would withhold part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon provides footage of strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela. Specifically, a quarter of Hegseth’s office travel funds would be withheld until the House and Senate Armed Services committees receive unedited video of strikes against designated terrorist groups in the area covered by United States Southern Command.
The measure also requires overdue Pentagon reports, including lessons learned from the Ukraine war, before funds can be released.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the Republicans’ move on Tuesday for pushing back against Trump and Hegseth to secure the requested tapes.
Beyond these policy provisions, the bill repeals the 1991 and 2003 authorizations used to justify U.S. military actions in Iraq, and it repeals the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act sanctions on Syria. It also includes provisions that limit the administration’s ability to reduce U.S. troop levels in Europe.
The House Rules Committee moved the bill quickly on Tuesday, making a floor vote this afternoon likely.
Getting through the House floor vote could prove challenging for GOP leaders, as several Republicans have signaled opposition. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has cited opposition to foreign aid and overseas military engagements, while Rep. Greg Steube of Florida indicated he’s weighing a vote against the bill to highlight Democratic gains embedded within it. Conversely, some Democrats are expected to back the measure on the final vote.
If the House approves it, the bill would proceed to the Senate for consideration.
