In a last burst of activity before a month-long recess, the House passed a $1.1 trillion defense policy bill and new limits on members’ stock trading. The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) cleared the House 216–212, with six Democrats joining Republicans. It now moves to the Senate, where its path is uncertain because most major bills require 60 votes to proceed.
Republicans framed the NDAA as a major investment in U.S. military readiness and future capabilities. Democrats, including top House Armed Services Committee Democrat Rep. Adam Smith, opposed the measure in its current form, saying it relies on $1.15 trillion in discretionary spending that would entail cuts to domestic programs and tax changes they cannot support. Senate Democrats last week blocked a version of the bill and have demanded concessions aimed at limiting President Trump’s conduct of the war with Iran.
The NDAA debate is unfolding amid a sustained U.S.-Iran conflict that has driven Pentagon costs and casualties. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the war has already cost $37.5 billion. Recent days have seen more U.S. service member deaths and injuries, bringing the reported U.S. death toll to 18 and nearly 500 service members wounded; the conflict has also coincided with higher consumer costs such as gas prices.
A parallel House action advanced a separate $95 billion budget framework 216–214. That proposal allocates more than $70 billion for the Iran conflict, about $12 billion in support for farmers, and funding to implement parts of the SAVE America Act, President Trump’s election overhaul. Fiscal conservatives objected that the plan contains no offsetting spending cuts; others worried about expanding a war effort that remains unpopular. House leadership used the budget reconciliation process to advance the package, a maneuver that can allow passage in the Senate without the usual 60-vote threshold, though its timing and chances in the Senate remain unclear.
Senate Republican Leader John Thune said his priorities include negotiating an extension of government funding ahead of the September deadline and that he would try to reach an agreement with Democrats. The House has already passed its own continuing resolution to extend funding through December, but Thune noted it omits some White House requests.
On ethics and transparency, the House approved the Stop Insider Trading Act by a 232–198 vote, banning members of Congress from acquiring new individual stocks while serving. Members could keep existing holdings, reinvest dividends, and sell shares with disclosure. Good-government groups criticized the measure, arguing it contains significant loopholes: it does not prevent members from owning stocks outright, from making trades that affect holdings’ values, from profiting from other asset classes, or from potentially benefiting through indirect arrangements. Most House Democrats opposed the bill, citing those loopholes and objections to a separate voter ID provision attached to the package.
Speaker Mike Johnson shepherded the measures through the Republican-majority chamber, persuading enough members to advance both the defense and budget proposals despite internal objections. Both bills now face the more complex and uncertain dynamics of the Senate, where bipartisan support or concessions will likely determine whether they become law.
