The US House of Representatives passed two significant military spending measures on Wednesday, reflecting President Donald Trump's push for a dramatic expansion of defence spending as the United States wages an ongoing war against Iran. The first, the 2027 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), authorised $1.15 trillion in national security spending and passed by the narrowest of margins, 216 to 212. The second, a separate $95 billion budget resolution focused on funding the Iran war and other White House priorities, cleared the House 216 to 214. Both votes fell almost entirely along party lines.

The NDAA — which Congress passes every year and is widely considered must-pass legislation — contains several notable provisions beyond its record price tag. It would officially rename the Department of Defense the Department of War, codifying an executive order Trump signed last year, a change the Congressional Budget Office estimates could cost up to $125 million to implement. The bill also includes a military pay raise of between 5% and 7% depending on rank, expanded military-technological cooperation with Israel, a prohibition on gender-related medical care under the military health programme TRICARE, and measures making it easier for service members to carry privately owned firearms on base. Attached to the NDAA upon its passage was the SAVE America Act, Trump's elections overhaul bill, which would impose new voter identification and proof-of-citizenship requirements.

The separate $95 billion budget package, passed through the reconciliation process — a procedure that bypasses the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold — allocates $60 billion for the Pentagon, $13 billion for broader national security needs, $12 billion for farmers affected by Trump's tariffs, and $10 billion for voting law changes. Republican leaders framed both bills as essential to maintaining military readiness and deterring adversaries including China and Iran. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faced pointed questioning from senators this week, has warned that the Pentagon is running short of cash despite a $150 billion one-time infusion approved last year.

Democrats argued forcefully against both measures. Critics contended that total defence-related spending is approaching $1.6 trillion when accounting for supplemental Iran war funding and weapons stockpile replenishment — an extraordinary sum at a time when the administration is simultaneously cutting social programmes. Democratic leaders warned that Congress risks giving the president a blank cheque for a war most Americans oppose, according to a recent AP-NORC poll, and that has so far cost 18 American military lives.

Both measures now face an uncertain path in the Senate. Senate Democrats blocked debate on the NDAA last week, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling it a "permission slip" for the Iran war. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been noncommittal on the House's budget resolution, which also divides his own Republican caucus. A final, compromise defence bill may not be ready until after the midterm elections, leaving the scope and direction of American military policy unresolved for months to come.