House panel passes defense policy bill

The House Armed Services Committee, after 16 hours of legislative debate, voted 57-2 to pass its version of the fiscal year 2022 defense authorization bill early this morning.

The committee considered 780 amendments, one of which would authorize $25 billion more for total defense spending than what the White House requested in April. The increase, which was passed 42-17, aligns the bill with one passed by Senate lawmakers in July.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) released a statement after the bill was passed.

"For the sixty-first consecutive year, the Armed Services Committee has fulfilled its critical responsibility and completed, on a bipartisan basis, a defense bill that will bolster our national security and provide for the common defense," he said. "This year the defense bill focuses on transforming [the Defense Department] to better deter our adversaries while taking advantage of new, innovative technologies and implementing more cost-effective approach to develop and acquire crucial platforms. The future of our defense depends on our committee's tough policy discussions about what DOD needs, how to fill these needs, and the necessary tradeoffs to ensure the United States maintains a competitive edge over its adversaries."

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the committee's ranking member, also released a statement applauding the bill's bipartisanship.

"We face threats from a rising China and a re-emerging Russia, and the Biden-Harris administration chose to propose a weak defense budget," he said. "I am pleased that the Armed Services Committee once again passed a National Defense Authorization Act out of the Committee this morning. We did so in a bipartisan manner, including voting together to address the shortfall in the Biden budget. I thank Chairman Smith and our Republican and Democrat colleagues for their hard work on this year's [National Defense Authorization Act] mark-up. I look forward to this bill moving to the floor and being signed into law."

Smith, referring to Rogers, said "democracy is not always easy."

"But having a willing counterpart in the legislative process is critical to ensuring our military has the essential resources they need to combat threats at home and abroad," he said. "As the NDAA now moves to the floor, I look forward to our continued partnership."