House Passes $1 Trillion Defense Bill, Which Includes ‘Department Of War’ Name Change And Parts Of SAVE Act
Welp, it happened: the U.S. House of Representatives passed a more than $1 trillion annual defense bill on Wednesday, largely because it turns out the administration that ran on “no new wars” and decreased spending needed to do way more spending to cover President Donald Trump’s new war in Iran.
According to the New York Times, on Wednesday, the House approved a $1.15 trillion defense policy bill with a 216-212 vote that landed mostly along party lines, with the exception of six House Democrats — Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (N.C.), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Adam Gray (Calif.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) — who voted in favor of the bill and seven Republicans who voted against it. (We’ll get to them in a sec.)
Those who voted against the bill appear to mostly oppose it on the grounds that it would only aid President Donald Trump in continuing his war in Iran without congressional approval or oversight.
From the Times:
Senate Democrats blocked that chamber’s version last week for the same reason, and G.O.P. leaders in the Senate lack the votes to overcome their opposition.
It sets up a clash over the annual defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act or N.D.A.A., that will likely to require significant bipartisan revisions if Congress hopes to send the legislation to Mr. Trump before the end of the year.
The bill includes a pay raise for service members, increased funding for missile defense production and additional resources to boost strategic investments in critical minerals. The sprawling legislation also contains a range of provisions directly related to how the U.S. military integrates and regulates artificial intelligence across the department.
It also would officially rename the Department of Defense the Department of War, part of an effort by him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to rebrand the military in a way they argue better projects American strength and reflects the department’s core mission.
Now, let’s just think about that last part for a second. If this new “defense” budget is so important to pass through both chambers of Congress, and if the greater good for our nation is at stake, then why include this petty, partisan, preposterous provision to implement the utterly ridiculous “Department of War” name change, which nobody is asking for except a bunch of delusional middle-aged-and-up dude-bros who are deeply insecure in their manhood? (Hence the medically unnecessary mandatory testosterone screenings.)
Again, Trump promised his followers he wouldn’t start any new wars, and now he’s conned the GOP into giving him another trillion in war funds and, as an added brownie point bonus, making the Defense Department no more, as this is now an administration of war.
MAGA insists it’s an acronym for “Make America Great Again,” but it continues to prove it actually stands for nothing.
Well, maybe there’s a little hope for the party among the Republicans who voted against the bill, including Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.), who lamented that the United States of America is starting to look more and more like the United States of Israel. (I mean, he didn’t say all that, but he’s not happy.)
From Aljazeera:
“Final vote total for the NDAA today which tragically merges our military technology and supply chains with Israel’s,” Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who has clashed with the White House and been a vocal critic of the war on Iran, said in a social media post responding to the vote.
“Let’s hope this version fails in the Senate because Section 219 is a betrayal of our sovereignty.”
The 2027 National Defense Authorisation Act, or NDAA, is a reflection of President Donald Trump’s request for an enormous increase in the country’s already unmatched military budget, seeking to boost spending from $900bn last year to $1.5 trillion.
Trump has said the increase is necessary as the US fights a widely unpopular war on Iran, launched by the US and Israel in late February.
The 2027 NDAA has also attracted scrutiny for a measure that would expand military technological cooperation with Israel, despite growing support among voters for ending military assistance to Israel.
But “America first,” right?
Anyway, the other House Republicans who voted against the bill were Reps. Josh Brecheen (Okla.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Harriet Hageman (Wyo.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.) and Chip Roy (Texas).
So, now we wait to see what the Senate does with the legislation, which is uncertain, especially since the House also snuck in parts of Trump’s precious SAVE America Act, which the president continues to spread election fraud propaganda to justify.
From TIME:
And the House rule that advanced the bill to consideration on the floor of the lower chamber also included language to attach it to a contentious piece of voting legislation before it is sent to the Senate. That measure, the SAVE America Act, would impose stricter ID requirements for voters nationwide, among other provisions. Trump has aggressively pushed for the passage of the SAVE America Act ahead of the pivotal fall midterms, stating that he will not sign any other legislation until it is sent to his desk. House Republicans passed the measure in February, but it has stalled in the Senate, where Republican leaders have said they do not have the votes to pass it.
Yeah — well, good luck with all that.
Vote in your best interest in November, good people, but make sure you vote, because a certain party is clearly hoping you won’t (or can’t).
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