House passes defense bill to raise troop pay and overhaul weapons
purchases
[December 11, 2025]
By STEPHEN GROVES and BEN FINLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill
Wednesday that authorizes $900 billion in military programs, including a
pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense
buys weapons.
The bill's passage on a 312-112 vote comes at a time of increasing
friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald
Trump’s administration over the management of the military.
The annual National Defense Authorization Act typically gains bipartisan
backing, and the White House has signaled “strong support” for the
must-pass legislation, saying it is in line with Trump's national
security agenda. Yet tucked into the over-3,000-page bill are several
measures that push back against the Department of Defense, including a
demand for more information on boat strikes in the Caribbean and support
for allies in Europe, such as Ukraine.
Overall, the sweeping bill calls for a 3.8% pay raise for many military
members as well as housing and facility improvements on military bases.
It also strikes a compromise between the political parties — cutting
climate and diversity efforts in line with Trump's agenda, while also
boosting congressional oversight of the Pentagon and repealing several
old war authorizations. Still, hard-line conservatives said they were
frustrated that the bill does not do more to cut U.S. commitments
overseas.
“We need a ready, capable and lethal fighting force because the threats
to our nation, especially those from China, are more complex and
challenging than at any point in the last 40 years,” said Rep. Mike
Rogers, the GOP chair of the House Armed Services Committee.
Lawmakers overseeing the military said the bill would change how the
Pentagon buys weapons, with an emphasis on speed after years of delay by
the defense industry. It's also a key priority for Defense Secretary
Pete Hegseth. Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the armed services
panel, called the bill “the most ambitious swing at acquisition reform
that we’ve taken.”
Still, Smith lamented that the bill does not do as much as Democrats
would like to rein in the Trump administration but called it “a step in
the right direction towards reasserting the authority of Congress.”
“The biggest concern I have is that the Pentagon, being run by Secretary
Hegseth and by President Trump, is simply not accountable to Congress or
accountable to the law,” he said.
The legislation next heads to the Senate, where leaders are working to
pass the bill before lawmakers depart Washington for a holiday break.
Several senators on both sides of the aisle have criticized the bill for
not doing enough to restrict military flights over Washington. They had
pushed for reforms after a midair collision this year between an Army
helicopter and a jetliner killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft
near Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. The National
Transportation Safety Board and families of the victims have also voiced
opposition to that section of the bill, raising concerns that it would
make the airspace more dangerous.
Here's what the defense bill does as it makes its way through Congress.
Boat strike videos and congressional oversight
Lawmakers included a provision that would cut Hegseth's travel budget by
a quarter until the Pentagon provides Congress with unedited video of
the strikes against alleged drug boats near Venezuela. Lawmakers are
asserting their oversight role after a Sept. 2 strike where the U.S.
military fired on two survivors who were holding on to a boat that had
partially been destroyed.
The bill also demands that Hegseth allow Congress to review the orders
for the strikes.
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The seal is seen on a podium at the Pentagon, Wednesday, Dec. 10,
2025, in Washington, before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks.
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Reaffirm commitments to Europe and Korea
Trump's ongoing support for Ukraine and other allies in Eastern
Europe has been under doubt over the last year, but lawmakers
included several positions meant to keep up U.S. support for
countering Russian aggression in the region.
The defense bill requires the Pentagon to keep at least 76,000
troops and major equipment stationed in Europe unless NATO allies
are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is
in U.S. interests. Around 80,000 to 100,000 U.S. troops are usually
present on European soil. It also authorizes $400 million for each
of the next two years to manufacture weapons to be sent to Ukraine.
Additionally, there is a provision to keep U.S. troops stationed in
South Korea, setting the minimum requirement at 28,500.
Cuts to climate and diversity initiatives
The bill makes $1.6 billion in cuts to climate change-related
spending, the House Armed Services Committee said. U.S. military
assessments have long found that climate change is a threat to
national security, with bases being pummeled by hurricanes or
routinely flooded.
The bill also would save $40 million by repealing diversity, equity
and inclusion offices, programs and trainings, the committee said.
The position of chief diversity officer would be cut, for example.
Iraq War resolution repeal
Congress is putting an official end to the war in Iraq by repealing
the authorization for the 2003 invasion. Supporters in both the
House and Senate say the repeal is crucial to prevent future abuses
and to reinforce that Iraq is now a strategic partner of the U.S.
The 2002 resolution has been rarely used in recent years. But the
first Trump administration cited it as part of its legal
justification for a 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen.
Qassim Suleimani.
Lifting final Syria sanctions
Congress would permanently remove U.S. sanctions put on Syria after
the Trump administration temporarily lifted many penalties.
Lawmakers imposed economically crippling sanctions on the country in
2019 to punish former leader Bashar Assad for human rights abuses
during the nearly 14-year civil war. After Syrian President Ahmed
al-Sharaa led a successful insurgency to depose Assad, he is seeking
to rebuild his nation’s economy.
Advocates of a permanent repeal have said international companies
are unlikely to invest in projects needed for the country’s
reconstruction as long as there is a threat of sanctions returning.
Lack of IVF coverage
Democrats criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for stripping a
provision from the bill to expand coverage of in vitro fertilization
for active duty personnel. An earlier version covered the medical
procedure, known as IVF, which helps people facing infertility have
children.
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