The US House of Representatives narrowly passed its version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday, authorising a record $1.15 trillion in Pentagon spending. The vote was 216 in favour to 212 against, with all but seven Republicans supporting the measure and all but six Democrats opposing it, according to multiple reports. The bill, which must still pass the Senate, provides approximately $250 billion more than the 2026 NDAA and includes a 5-7 percent pay raise for service members.

Democrats objected to the size of the military budget at a time when President Donald Trump and his Republican allies are cutting social programmes, and to the ongoing war with Iran, which the Pentagon said has cost the US $37.5 billion so far. Representative Jerry Nadler said he could not vote to give Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth “$1.15 trillion for their out-of-control military spending and irresponsible actions,” calling the NDAA “a costly, bad bill that funds an illegal war and undermines our democracy.” Republicans argued the spending is essential to support the armed forces during the conflict, rebuild depleted ammunition stockpiles, and fund defence systems including the Golden Dome missile defence system modelled on Israel’s Iron Dome. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the legislation “provides our brave servicemembers with an overdue pay raise, strengthens our nuclear deterrence and missile defence — including construction of the Golden Dome.”

A provision that would substantially expand US-Israel military technology cooperation, Section 219, drew bipartisan opposition. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican who voted against the bill, said “codifying the integration of our military technology and supply chains with those of any other country is dangerous.” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the provision “an existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy.” Supporters, including Representative Marlin Stutzman, rejected sovereignty concerns, saying “there is no world that the United States government gives away our most elite military weaponry or technology to our allies, including Israel.” The House adopted amendments from Representative Anna Paulina Luna that removed the word “integration” from four instances and extended reporting requirements, but left the initiative’s central structure intact.

The bill’s fate in the Senate remains uncertain. Republicans attached Trump’s “SAVE America Act,” which would enact new nationwide voting restrictions, to the NDAA through a procedural manoeuvre, raising Democratic opposition. Senate Democrats blocked their chamber’s version of the NDAA last week, and Republican leaders have pledged to try again before the August recess. The House and Senate must now reconcile their versions before a compromise text can be sent to the White House for Trump to sign or veto.