US House passes $1.15 trillion military bill expanding Israel cooperation
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- The US House passed the 2027 NDAA by 216-212 on Wednesday, largely along party lines, with six Democrats crossing over in favor and seven Republicans voting against.
- Section 219 of the bill expands military technological cooperation with Israel — a provision Rep. Thomas Massie (R) condemned as a "betrayal of our sovereignty" that "merges our military technology and supply chains with Israel's."
- The $1.15 trillion package reflects Trump's request to boost US military spending from $900bn last year toward $1.5 trillion, justified by the administration as necessary to fund the US-Israel war on Iran launched in late February.
- Senate Democrats blocked debate on the NDAA last week, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling the bill a "permission slip" for the war on Iran, signaling an uphill path in the upper chamber.
- The legislation also bundles in aid for Ukraine and the SAVE America Act, which would impose new voting restrictions that Trump has falsely portrayed as countering widespread fraud.
Why it matters: The $1.15 trillion price tag — pushing toward Trump's $1.5 trillion target — lands as the White House simultaneously moves to slash social programmes, giving Senate Democrats a fiscal contrast to exploit. Bundling the SAVE America Act's voting restrictions into a traditionally "must-pass" military bill gives the administration leverage to extract concessions, while Section 219 deepens US-Israel military integration despite Massie's sovereignty warning and growing voter support for ending military assistance to Israel.
