US House passes record $886 billion military spending bill

The US House of Representatives has passed a record $886 billion annual military spending bill that authorizes the Pentagon's programs in the 2024 fiscal year.

The bill called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was ratified on Friday by the majority Republican chamber. 

A small group of GOP hardliners imposed the amendments onto the Republican-only NDAA that contains many conservative “culture war” victories related to transgender and abortion issues in the military.

If the Democrat-controlled Senate refuses that bill and passes its own version of it, the two chambers will have to reconcile the differences through a conference committee.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has already said the Senate will take up its own version of the package, teeing up partisan clashes when the two chambers reconcile their bills. He is aiming to vote on a bill by the end of the month.

Asked about the path ahead in the Senate, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he "hope[s] the bills that come out of the House are different than the bills that Schumer's in charge of."

"You know what? We designed our government to be this way because then we go to conferences and we find where we can unite," he told reporters.

The possible differences over the defense bill provide a fresh warning of turmoil ahead in the struggle to fund the government before a shutdown that could come as soon as October 1.

In the meantime, Republicans and Democrats alike defended the hefty bill, claiming the added expenses were essential for America's defense and the future of the country.

"Under this bill, men and women in uniform who make sacrifices for our nation every day will receive the biggest pay raise in decades," said McCarthy after the vote. "Radical programs that are forced on troops at the expense of readiness are now eliminated; cutting-edge technology that is essential for the future of this country and to keep freedom around the world from the rise of China and Russia will receive more investment than we've watched in the past."

Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) told reporters that the US military need not be distracted by the budget bill and stay focused on its "readiness and lethality". "The military needs to be focused on readiness and lethality and all these other things are distracters from that and harm our national security."

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) said on the House floor on Friday the 2024 defense bill will help prepare the US military against China's growing clout.

“It will enhance the congressional oversight of the DOD. It will improve the quality of life for our service members and their families. And it will help build the ready, capable, and lethal fighting force we need to deter the Chinese Communist Party,” Rogers said.

The vote was 219-210, with four Republicans opposing the package and four Democrats backing it.

However, some Republicans' efforts to cut military aid to Ukraine failed.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) attempt to strip out the additional $300 million for Ukraine failed. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) another opponent of US military assistance in Ukraine, offered an amendment to withdraw that aid, but it was overwhelmingly defeated.

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