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The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved an $883.7 billion defense policy and budget bill in a primarily party-line vote, after integrating numerous contentious amendments addressing climate change, abortion, and diversity programs.

House of Representatives Passes $884B Defense Bill For 2025 : Contentious Amendments Spark Debate

Lawmakers voted 217-199 in favor of H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act and National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025. The bill passed with only six Democrats supporting it and three Republicans voting against it, following the consideration of 350 amendments on the House floor.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., emphasized the bill's focus on quality of life issues during Wednesday's debate, noting it was the "first time in decades" the annual defense bill had a distinct short title beyond "National Defense Authorization Act."

"No service member should have to live in squalid conditions," Rogers said. "No military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children. And no one serving this country should have to wait weeks to see a doctor or a mental health specialist. But that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted. This bill will go a long way toward fixing that."

House of Representatives Passes $884B Defense Bill For 2025 : Breakdown of the $884B Budget

The bill allocates $849.8 billion to the U.S. Department of Defense, $33.3 billion for nuclear weapons activities at the U.S. Department of Energy, and approximately $500 million for other defense-related activities, aligning with the bipartisan budget agreement established in 2023's Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Initially, the House Armed Services Committee passed the bill with broad bipartisan support, 57-1, on May 22. Despite this support, the bill included several clauses aimed at "ending the radical woke ideology being forced on our servicemen and women," according to the Republican majority, by eliminating affirmative action at military academies and restricting the DOD from implementing new climate change rules or hiring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) staff.

Controversial Amendments Lead to Partisan Split

However, amendments introduced during floor debate from Wednesday through Friday, which Democrats referred to as "culture war" amendments, led most Democrats to vote against the final version of the bill. These amendments include prohibitions on using DOD funds for implementing climate change-related executive orders, eliminating DEI offices and staff within the DOD, and barring the use of DOD funds for gender-affirming treatments or abortion services.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the Democratic ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, urged lawmakers not to "undercut those efforts" by the DOD to recruit from a diverse talent pool. "We need to be able to access all the talent in this country," he said. "Not just white men. We need to recruit women. We need to recruit from communities of color. We need to recruit from the LGBT community. That is crucial to making sure we have the talent we need."

Quality of Life and Military Enhancements

Quality of life provisions in the bill include restoring the basic housing allowance for troops to 100% of average regional housing costs, reversing a 2016 cut, and more than $1.1 billion to improve housing conditions at military barracks. The bill also funds child care fee assistance programs, recruitment and retention of child care workers, a permanent paid fellowship program for military spouses, and a 19.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members.

Additionally, the bill allocates $32.4 billion for shipbuilding, restores funding for a second Virginia-class submarine in 2025, and requires the Navy to complete detailed design assessments before starting new ship construction. It authorizes the purchase of 58 F-35 fighter jets, 10 fewer than requested by the White House, with funds redirected to resolve ongoing F-35 development and production issues.

Future Steps and Senate Reconciliation

The White House expressed qualified support for the bill but objected to certain provisions, including those related to DEI, climate change, and the establishment of a drone corps within the Army. The Senate Armed Services Committee marked up its version of the 2025 NDAA in closed sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, with a summary of that bill expected later on Friday.