July 23, 2026, 02:15July 23, 2026, 02:15
Amid the ongoing attacks on Iran, the US House of Representatives has created the conditions for a dramatic increase in military spending. The House of Representatives approved a defense policy framework for fiscal year 2027 that would result in a 30 percent increase in the Pentagon’s budget.
The majority of MPs voted in favor of a corresponding law – mainly with votes from Republicans. However, the vote was close: there were 216 yes and 212 no votes. Not all members of President Donald Trump’s party voted for the law he supported. Trump is pushing for increased defense spending.
The House draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) lists defense industry programs, salaries for the armed forces and other Pentagon projects for the coming fiscal year, which are expected to cost almost 1.15 trillion dollars (around 1 trillion euros). In the current fiscal year, which runs until the end of September, 883 billion US dollars (773 billion euros) were authorized via the NDAA.
The National Defense Authorization Act sets the policy and legal framework for defense spending. However, this alone does not make the increase in spending effective. The exact allocation of funds in the Pentagon is only determined by a separate budget law that Congress must pass – and thus also requires the approval of the Senate as the second chamber of parliament.
The president can still veto it
The NDAA process is still in its early stages. In order for the whole thing to come into force, further steps are needed. There is a separate bill for this in the Senate. The process there had recently stalled – the Democrats wanted to use their protest to put pressure on Trump over the controversial war against Iran. If both chambers ultimately agree on a compromise version, the US President can veto the law. (sda/dpa)