House passes defense policy bill

The House voted 295-125 today to pass a $740 billion defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2021 with a veto-proof majority.

The bill will need to be reconciled with a version still being debated in the Senate.

The White House, meanwhile, is threatening to veto the House bill over a variety of provisions, including a mandate to rename military bases honoring Confederate leaders.

Progressive Democrats did not support the bill after forcing floor debates on several provisions that proved unsuccessful. One such provision would have cut the defense budget by 10%, or $74 billion. Other unsuccessful progressive provisions would have discontinued the Pentagon’s annual submission of unfunded priorities lists and set a framework for the accelerated withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.