House passes compromise defense bill

The House has voted 281-140 to pass the compromise version of the fiscal year 2025 defense authorization bill, teeing up the legislation to be passed by the Senate.

The bill authorizes $895 billion for national defense, honoring the spending cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The vote was closer than House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) said they would have liked on account of a provision included by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that would ban the military’s health care program, TRICARE, from covering transgender medical treatment for the children of servicemembers.

Smith, who voted against the bill, said on the House floor that the provision “taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation.”

Rogers was quoted in The Hill saying he supports the policy but would have preferred it not be in the defense authorization bill due to its controversial nature.

Ultimately, most Democrats voted against the bill with only 81 voting in favor, while 16 Republicans voted against it.