House panel advances $1.15 trillion defense bill after marathon debate

The Hill | House panel advances $1.15 trillion defense bill after marathon debate By: Ellen Mitchell and Filip Timotija The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) late Thursday passed the annual Defense policy bill, sending the mammoth, nearly $1.15 trillion measure to the full House after debating a chunk of some 900 offered amendments for 14 hours. The measure, known as the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed the panel by a 44 to 12 vote, with the final gavel falling at midnight. All Republicans and nearly half of the panel’s Democrats voted in favor of the bill, an unusually small number of Democrats given that only one or two on the historically bipartisan committee typically oppose the bill as it heads to the House floor. Prior to the final vote, the committee gave a round of applause and standing ovation for panel Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who oversaw his last NDAA markup as head of the panel, absent a waiver. “It’s not easy getting me choked up,” Rogers said in response. Among the amendments adopted was a provision that would demand the Pentagon inform Congress why senior military officers were fired or dismissed within five days. The requirement was introduced by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and was adopted Thursday without objections in a bipartisan voice vote. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired two dozen senior military officers since taking the helm at the Pentagon, prompting bipartisan worries that experienced officials are being dismissed without explanation. The panel also approved an amendment offered by Ryan that would require Hegseth to provide a copy of the official investigation into the deadly attack on Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on March 1, which killed six U.S. service members, as well as provide a briefing on the incident to the defense committee. Among the surprises of the hearing was the adoption of an amendment from Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) that would formally rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War, the preferred name by the Trump administration and one used by Hegseth and most GOP lawmakers. It passed 29-27. In another big vote, the panel approved Rep. Marilyn Strickland’s (D-Wash.) amendment to rename bases that once held the names of Confederate generals, were changed to honor other service members, then were altered back to the same Confederate names but attributed to a different soldier with the same last name under Trump’s second term. In addition, the panel adopted the right-to-repair amendment, pushed by Reps. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) and Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.), which would require contractors to give access to data and parts to fix the military’s equipment. “This is a common-sense requirement. What our bipartisan amendment does is to clarify and to create a clear set of rules, a default rule that will help to resolve disputes before they arise, that will streamline these processes, cut red tape and close loopholes that have mired our military in endless challenges in trying to do some of the most basic things that we should be empowering our service members to do,” Goodlander told the panel. Rogers pushed back against the amendment, saying while the provision is trying to address “legitimate concerns,” it creates a “much larger problem by granting the government extremely broad rights to IP developed at private [business] expense.” “This amendment would force companies to choose between protecting their IP and doing so with the Department of Defense,” Rogers said. The passage of the amendment, which also has some bipartisan support in the Senate, is a big blow to defense industry giants. Democrats tried to shave the NDAA’s massive top-line number, cut the funding earmarked for Trump-class battleships, protest the Iran war and ban the transfer of cluster munitions, all amendments that were defeated by House GOP defense hawks. “I just don’t trust this administration to use this historic budget appropriately. I’m not going to hand them a blank check to fund reckless unilateral wars of choice,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), said of his amendment to cut $150 billion from the NDAA’s topline number. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the panel, pitched an amendment that would take out nearly $2 billion earmarked in the defense policy bill for Trump-class battleships. Moulton, who backed Smith’s provision, said the battleship is the “most expensive sitting duck in world history.” While the battleship amendment failed, Smith’s provision requiring quarterly reports from the Pentagon chief to Congress on munitions inventories was adopted via en bloc. Strickland’s amendment to block the Defense secretary from removing names from officer promotion lists, only allowing the commander-in-chief to overturn them, was defeated in a 26-30 vote, with Reps. Don Davis (D-N.C.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) siding with Republicans, while Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) backed the provision. Ryan’s proposal to bar more money for more military