The House on Wednesday passed a defense policy bill that would designate the Department of Defense as the Department of War, fulfilling President Donald Trump’s long-standing request and authorizing a historic $1.15 trillion in national security spending.
The National Defense Authorization Act, usually a bipartisan affair, passed 216-212 — almost entirely along party lines. The bill also provides a 5% to 7% pay raise for service members, depending on rank, and includes several conservative social policy riders.
Democrats opposed the steep spending increases as Republicans cut non-defense programs. They also objected to provisions prohibiting gender-related medical care under TRICARE and easing rules for service members to carry firearms on bases.
The partisan divide deepened when Republican leaders attached Trump’s elections overhaul bill to the defense bill, a move aimed at pressuring the Senate.
The Department of War Rename
The White House applauded the Department of War designation, saying it recognizes the “willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our nation.”
Trump issued an executive order last year renaming the Defense Department, but it is up to Congress to make the change official. The Congressional Budget Office has projected the renaming could cost taxpayers as much as $125 million.
The White House also expressed concerns about provisions in the bill that it said would “limit or undermine the president’s ability to name military installations and property.”
Spending and Partisan Divide
Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the US needs to reverse “decades of underinvestment and neglect” in the armed forces and defense industrial base.
“This bill will do that and much more,” Rogers said. “It will build the ready, capable and lethal fighting force we need to deter China and other adversaries.”
But Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said the administration’s total defense request is approaching $1.6 trillion when including separate efforts to pay for the Iran war and boost weapons stockpiles.
“The American people are struggling to pay their bills and we’re going to put $1.6 trillion into the defense budget. It’s not a reasonable thing to ask,” Smith said.
Smith also expressed concern that supporting the bill means lawmakers are “de facto supporting this war with no end in sight.”
What’s Next
The spending increases authorized in the bill would not take effect until Congress follows up with a separate defense appropriations bill. The Senate has not yet approved its version, and a final product may not be ready until after the midterm elections.
The White House said it has “a number of concerns” with certain provisions and would work with Congress before a final bill is presented to the president.
The Bottom Line
The House passed a defense bill that would rename the Pentagon the Department of War and authorize $1.15 trillion in national security spending. The bill, which passed almost entirely along party lines, also includes a military pay raise, restrictions on gender-related medical care, and eased rules for carrying firearms on bases. Democrats opposed the spending levels and conservative policy riders. The Senate has not yet acted.
