The House advanced the nearly $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act, sending it to the Senate after a 312-112 vote and securing a 3.8% pay raise for troops. Lawmakers added a provision that withholds one-quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget unless the Pentagon delivers video and execution orders related to a Sept. 2 Caribbean boat strike. The bill also includes major policy moves—repealing the 1991 and 2002 Iraq AUMFs, easing some Syria sanctions and restoring support to recover Ukrainian children—while omitting expanded fertility coverage for service members.
House Advances Nearly $900B NDAA, Presses Pentagon to Release Video of Controversial Caribbean Boat Strike
Dec 11
A team of US Navy SEALS drop into the water from UH-1 Venoms during a live amphibious assault demonstration at Camp Pendleton's Red Beach in Oceanside, California, on October 18, 2025. - Mario Tama/Getty Images/File
The House on Wednesday advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the next fiscal year, sending the sprawling, nearly $900 billion defense-policy bill to the Senate after a 312-112 vote. The measure sets defense priorities and authorizes a 3.8% pay raise for service members as part of the funding package.
Oversight Push Over Caribbean Strike
A prominent provision inserted into the must-pass bill increases pressure on the Pentagon to provide Congress with video and other records related to a controversial September 2 "double-tap" strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. Lawmakers included language that conditions one-quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel budget on the Pentagon meeting a set of oversight requirements.
Those requirements include delivering "video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command" to the House and Senate Armed Services committees, and providing copies of any "execute orders" the Pentagon issues. Supporters say the measures are intended to restore congressional oversight and ensure accountability for military actions.
Capitol Hill Reactions
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee and a key negotiator of the NDAA, said the boat-strike provisions and other oversight tools help reassert Congress's role as a coequal branch of government. Yet some on Capitol Hill appear ready to move past the dispute: a committee aide told CNN that House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers has been satisfied that classified briefings and the video he has seen indicate the Sept. 2 action was lawful, though Rogers expects a classified briefing for the rest of the committee next week.
Major Policy Moves and Omissions
Republicans are touting several policy victories in the bill, including codifying more than a dozen Trump-era executive actions and advancing elements of the administration's agenda on the southern border and overseas. The NDAA also includes provisions that would:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a meeting with House and Senate leaders about strikes carried out by the US military on alleged Venezuelan drug boats on December 9, 2025. - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
- Repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs) related to Iraq;
- Lift certain sanctions on Syria;
- Limit the administration's ability to significantly draw down U.S. troop levels in Europe;
- Restore U.S. support for efforts to locate and recover Ukrainian children reportedly taken to Russia.
Lawmakers expressed disappointment that language to expand fertility coverage for service members on TRICARE—such as in vitro fertilization—was removed from the final bill after appearing in earlier House and Senate drafts.
Last-Minute Vote Dynamics
To clear a procedural hurdle and secure final passage, GOP leaders spent hours persuading holdouts to allow the vote. A handful of conservative Republicans switched votes after private meetings with senior leaders, including a closed-door conversation that involved Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Reps. Tim Burchett, Anna Paulina Luna and Lauren Boebert said they discussed concerns about federal funds potentially reaching the Taliban and said Rubio pledged to address NGO funding flows.
The holdouts said they also extracted commitments from Speaker Mike Johnson's team to bring future measures to the floor, including legislation to restrict stock trading by members of Congress and a bill opposing the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Johnson later disputed some characterizations of specific promises made in the room, saying he reiterated prior commitments and that ideas remain under discussion.
What’s next: The NDAA now moves to the Senate for consideration. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will continue negotiations over oversight language, policy provisions and any amendments the Senate may seek before final passage.
This story was updated with contributions from CNN reporters Alison Main, Jennifer Hansler, Annie Grayer and Donald Judd.
