House passes Pentagon funding, budget blueprint for Iran war

The House of Representatives voted along largely partisan lines Wednesday to pass a $1.1 trillion Pentagon funding bill and a separate $95 billion budget blueprint that would unlock new dollars for the ongoing U.S. military campaign in Iran, capping a contentious week before lawmakers depart for a month-long recess.

NDAA passes with slim Republican majority

The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), typically a bipartisan affair, passed by a vote of 216 to 212, with only six Democrats crossing the aisle. The bill, which authorizes military spending for the coming fiscal year, has become a political flashpoint amid growing opposition to the Iran war and disputes over domestic spending priorities. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed the legislation as a generational investment in national defense, emphasizing innovation and readiness. But Democrats, including senior Armed Services Committee member Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, criticized the bill for relying on cuts to domestic programs and tax breaks to fund the military buildup. “I cannot and do not support meeting these needs by making massive cuts to critically important domestic programs and slashing taxes,” Smith said in a statement.

Iran war costs mount as casualties rise

The NDAA debate unfolded against the backdrop of an increasingly costly and unpopular U.S.-Iran conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the war has already cost taxpayers $37.5 billion, with at least 18 U.S. service members killed and nearly 500 wounded. In recent days, four more troops died in combat. The economic toll has also hit Americans at the pump: AAA reported that the average price of a gallon of gas has risen above $4. The escalation in fighting has dashed hopes for a diplomatic resolution, as both sides continue to trade attacks. The war’s unpopularity was underscored by a recent focus group of Wisconsin swing voters who told NPR the conflict was not worth the cost.

Budget blueprint advances on party-line vote

In a separate vote Wednesday, the House approved a $95 billion budget framework that includes more than $70 billion for the Iran war, $12 billion in assistance for farmers, and funding to implement President Trump’s signature election overhaul, the SAVE America Act. The vote was 216 to 214, with every Democrat opposed. GOP fiscal hardliners expressed frustration that the spending was not offset by cuts elsewhere, while other Republicans worried about funding a war that is rapidly escalating and lacks broad public support. Speaker Johnson managed to hold his conference together, using reconciliation—a parliamentary maneuver that allows the bill to bypass the Senate’s typical 60-vote filibuster threshold. This means the package could theoretically pass the Senate on a strict party-line vote, though the timeline for action remains uncertain.

Senate prospects uncertain amid funding deadline

The defense bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain path. Senate Democrats blocked an earlier version last week, demanding limits on the president’s war authority in Iran. The majority leader, John Thune (R-S.D.), said Tuesday that his priority is extending government funding beyond the midterm elections, with the current fiscal year set to expire at the end of September. Thune said he would first try to negotiate a bipartisan deal, but if talks fail, he may repurpose the budget framework to pass a government funding extension on a party-line basis. The coming weeks will test whether the Senate can reconcile competing demands—from funding a controversial war to averting a government shutdown—while the human and economic costs of the conflict continue to mount.