Senate Democrats block $1 trillion defense bill in protest over Iran war
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats blocked the $1 trillion annual defense bill on Tuesday, denying development of the bipartisan package. Pentagon Expenditures, including pay raises for soldiers, to protest President Donald Trump’s protest war against Iran.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced his opposition and other key Democrats said they could not support the annual bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act. war drifting into month five with no clear endgame in sight. The score was 50-46, largely failing to reach the threshold needed along party lines.
“The NDAA cannot be a license for the recklessness we see happening in Iran,” Schumer said from New York before the vote.
“Donald Trump cannot drag the American people further into a war he cannot explain and does not know how it will end, and then demand that Congress look the other way.”
The Senate vote came a day after the White House formally notified Congress. Bombing attacks resumed It effectively destroyed a fragile ceasefire in the US-Israeli-led conflict against Iran that had caused economic disruptions, including unstable gas prices. midterm elections.
Congress has repeatedly tried to rail against the administration by holding more than 10 votes on various issues. war powers decisions This will stop hostilities. But these efforts did not yield resultsMajorities of most Republicans in the House and Senate support Trump.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the defense package a good bill and implored his colleagues to provide the resources to keep the United States safe.
“We have an obligation here in Congress to make sure they have everything they need, no matter what the mission,” he said.
After the bill failed to advance, Thune changed his vote with a procedural move that would allow the leader to bring the bill back for reconsideration at a later date.
For decades, Congress had made sure to approve the annual defense bill each year, setting department policy and direction and authorizing funds that would then be appropriated to carry out systems, materiel, and mission investments.
This year, the 66th annual NDAA faces double opposition. Lawmakers are angry about Trump’s military action against Iran and have fundamentally resisted the White House’s request to do so. Increasing Pentagon spending to $1.5 trillionLast year it was about $900 billion.
Huge fund increase, White House’s 2027 budget request As the Trump administration seeks a generational investment to modernize the Department of Defense, which it calls the Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth was scheduled to meet with House Republicans Tuesday evening, overcoming opposition from Democrats, as Congress considers providing additional money through a separate budget reconciliation bill that the party could pass on its own.
The White House has requested $350 billion from Congress as part of the budget reconciliation process, but House leaders have indicated that this amount will likely be a much smaller amount and better suited to budget reconciliation. $87 billion requested from the White House As additional funding to Iran last month.
But Republican deficit hawks are skeptical of the big budget numbers, despite support for the war within their own ranks.
The extra defense funding comes on top of an additional $150 billion in funding that Republicans provided to the Pentagon last year. Trump’s big tax cut bill Some say it is unspent or completely unaccounted for.
At the same time, senators want to impose restrictions on Hegseth if he does not comply with requests for more information about department procedures and accounts.
Senate bill blocking the secretary’s travel fund unless he submits the reports they request, including a fatal case. School strike in Iran at the beginning of the war.
But Democrats are pushing for more restrictions under a war powers resolution that would force a halt to military actions.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a veteran who flew helicopter combat missions in Iraq, said she would oppose the bill unless it included changes to end the war.
“Spending more money on a military operation that is out of control is not a strategy. It is a recipe for a forever war.”
