Outcry after $۱.۱۵tn defense bill passes in the House – US politics live

Trump also said the US will “hold Iran responsible” for any actions the Houthis take against shipping.

He said the Houthis had acted “very professionally and smart” until they attacked Saudi Arabian ships in the Red Sea last night.

In a post on Truth Social, he said:

A year ago the United States of America attacked, very powerfully, the Houthis, for their interference with commerce and trade, by shooting at ships. Since that time, and during our conflict with Iran, they have acted very responsibly. Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night. Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart.

My colleague Taz Ali has more on our Middle East liveblog here:

Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social that the landmark nuclear deal the US signed with Saudi Arabia yesterday is “totally subject” to Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham accords.

The president wrote: “The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords. The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities.”

In addition to passing the National Defense Authorization Act – a key plank of the president’s plan to spend $۱.۵tn on the military in the ۲۰۲۷ fiscal year – House Republicans on Wednesday agreed to begin the process of writing a $۹۵bn bill to fund the war with Iran.

The passage of this budget resolution paves the way for the creation of a reconciliation bill, which can advance through the Senate under special rules that circumvent the Democratic filibuster and requires only a simple majority to pass.

Like the NDAA, the budget resolution will also likely be used by the House administration committee to pass the Save America Act into law, which will ban mail-in ballots nationwide and impose enhanced strict identification requirements on voters when they cast ballots and register.

The Guardian’s Chris Stein has more here:

The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act in a ۲۱۶-۲۱۲ vote, with all but six Democrats opposing its passage and seven Republicans breaking ranks to oppose the measure.

These are the Democrats that voted for NDAA:

• Henry Cuellar of Texas

• Donald Davis of North Carolina

• Jared Golden of Maine

• Vicente Gonzalez of Texas

• Adam Gray of California

• Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington

These are the Republicans that voted against it:

• Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma. “While I support providing for a robust national defense, I could not in good conscience vote for this legislation as it authorizes a $۲۶۳.۴bn (۲۹.۶%) increase over the authorized level for the previous fiscal year,” Brecheen posted on X.

• Tim Burchett of Tennessee

• Elijah Crane of Arizona

• Harriet Hageman of Wyoming

• Anna Paulina Luna of Florida

• Thomas Massie of Kentucky

• Chip Roy of Texas

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) typically passes in Congress each year with bipartisan margins. But the $۱.۱۵tn defense policy bill passed in a near-party-line vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in an uproar.

That’s because the NDAA’s path to enactment this year has been complicated by the president’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran without first seeking authorization from Congress – a war that has already cost $۳۷.۵bn, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Last week, Senate Democrats blocked the advancement of that chamber’s version of the NDAA in protest of the war.

“While millions of Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities, Congress is choosing to authorize over $۱tn for the Pentagon, once again funneling billions of taxpayer dollars to defense contractors instead of investing in the needs of working people,” Ilhan Omar, a Democratic representative from Minnesota, posted on X.

She continued: “The American people are sick and tired of funding atrocities abroad and want this war with Iran to end. Yet year after year, the Pentagon fails its audit with virtually no accountability, while Congress continues to increase military spending.”

Further complicating matters, Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, acceded to the demands of rightwing lawmakers and inserted into the legislation the Save America Act, a Trump-backed proposal to ban mail-in ballots and impose new identification restrictions on voters at the polls and when they register. “This budget resolution is our best shot at enacting as much of the Save America Act into law as possible,” Johnson –posted on X.

“This means the NDAA is now tied to Trump’s attempt to steal elections by making it more difficult for millions of Americans to vote,” Jerry Nadler, a Democratic representative from New York, posted on X. “The NDAA is a costly, bad bill that funds an illegal war and undermines our democracy.”

Section ۲۱۹ of the NDAA – which establishes the US-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative – also had Republican representatives protesting the bill’s passage. “Section ۲۱۹ is a betrayal of our sovereignty,” Kentucky conservative Thomas Massie said on X. Far-right firebrand Lauren Boebert also said she sat out on the NDAA vote because of Section ۲۱۹.

More to come.