National Security Legislative Calendar

Key Fiscal Year 2025 National Security Bills

Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Bill

On May 22, the House Armed Services Committee, which skipped the usual subcommittee markups this year, approved H.R. 8070, the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Authorization bill, by a vote of 57-1. As in previous years, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) was the only member to vote against approval. The Committee rejected a series of amendments to cut back on nuclear weapons and other programs including:

• An amendment from Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) to strike the requirement that U.S. maintain a minimum of 400 nuclear-armed ICBMs failed 13-45.
• A second Rep. Garamendi amendment to pause funding for the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program that is currently under statutory review due to billions in cost overruns lost 9-49.
• A third Rep. Garamendi amendment to slow plutonium pit production failed 24-34.
• An amendment from Strategic Forces Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) to strike a requirement that a third missile interceptor site be placed most likely at Fort Drum, NY, was defeated 28-30.
• A Rep. Garamendi amendment to end the congressional requirement that Pentagon branches report their unfunded priorities to Congress failed 11-46.

On June 14, the House completed action on the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the overwhelming Republican votes for culture-war amendments turned a bipartisan vote in the Armed Services Committee into an almost party-line vote for the bill 217-199, with six Democrats voting aye and three Republicans voting no.

On June 14, the Senate Armed Services Committee reported its version of the NDAA by a vote of 22-3. The three no votes were Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR). The bill’s topline of $923.3 billion exceeds the Congressionally-approved federal spending cap by about $25 billion, which Chairman Reed identified as his reason for voting against advancing the bill. It is unclear whether the Senate will take up its version of the NDAA on the floor. Given the upcoming election, it is more likely that the two chambers will move straight to conference.

Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations Bills

The House version of the Defense Appropriations bill appropriates $833 billion, only slightly above President Joe Biden’s budget request. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $852.2 billion. Defense Subcommittee Ranking Member Betty McCollum (D-MN), pointing to the party-line 34-25 vote for the bill, stated “Once again, this bill includes partisan social policy riders that were just rejected in [FY24]… and continues to treat climate change as if it is not happening and is not a national security threat.”

When the bill came to the House floor, the strategy from House Republican leadership was once again to prioritize divisive policy amendments from the most conservative members of the conference, which eliminated the likelihood of any significant bipartisanship. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is positioning the House for later in the year when the House and Senate try to negotiate a final bill. Those negotiations are likely to be delayed until after the election, so a continuing resolution in September is likely.

One example of the divisive provisions aimed at scoring political points in an election year included an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill by Barry Moore (R-AL) to defund DOD climate change research. It was approved by an almost party-line 210-201 vote.

Other select provisions added to the Defense Appropriations bill in either the Appropriations Committee or on the floor covered banning funding for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, limiting service personnel access to abortion and blocking funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

A bit of good news: despite widespread reports of united conservative opposition to helping Ukraine, the House rejected an additional amendment related to Ukraine from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) that would have prohibited all funds in support of Ukraine in the Defense Appropriations bill. The amendment was rejected handily 76-335.

Progressives rallied around an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill from Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) to prohibit funds from being used to carry out the unfunded priorities list, but the amendment failed 161-251.

House leadership entered the final week before the summer recess with the goal of passing four appropriations bills, but ultimately only passed one: the Interior-Environment Appropriations bill. The House has approved five out of 12 appropriations bills.

On July 25, the Senate Appropriations Committee, even further behind than the House, approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior-Environment, State and Foreign Operations and Transportation-HUD Appropriations.

On August 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the Energy and Water Development 28-0; the Defense Appropriations bill 28-0; the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill 25-3 and the Financial Services and General Government bill 27-0.

The Senate version of the Defense Appropriations provides $852.2 billion in total funding—$27.2 billion over fiscal year 2024 and significantly above President Biden’s request. The Committee has voted for 11 of 12 appropriations bills, but none have been considered by the full Senate.

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

On March 7, the Senate approved a bill extending and expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). The bill, offered by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), significantly expanded RECA to permit victims of United States nuclear contamination who developed cancer and other serious illnesses to receive federal compensation. The vote was 69-30. RECA is designed to compensate people in a number of states who suffered from aboveground nuclear testing (people known as downwinders) and uranium mining. The Senate had previously endorsed a version of this bill as part of the annual Defense Authorization bill, but the measure was dropped in the House-Senate conference. It is not clear whether Speaker Johnson will bring the Senate-passed RECA legislation to the House Floor.

Time has all but run out for Congress to pass the RECA extension and expansion proposed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and others. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has continued to block consideration by the House over the expected $50-$60 billion price tag over 10 years. Advocates within and outside Congress continue to push for a solution.

Authorization to Use Military Force

On March 8, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13-8 to repeal 2002 and 1991 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, that launched President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Before the final vote, the Committee rejected 13-8 a Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) amendment that would specify that the U.S. has the authority to attack Iran. An amendment Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) amendment to also repeal the 2001 AUMF — which came in response to 9/11— was rejected 20-1.

On March 16, Senate took a procedural vote of 68-27 to advance the repeal with 19 Republicans joining Democrats in support, strongly indicating the measure will pass the Senate.

On March 29, the Senate passed S. 316 to repeal the 1991 and 2022 AUMFs against Iraq by a vote of 66-30.

The Senate rejected six Republican amendments to the bill:

• Johnson (R-WI) amendment on using force against Iran failed 47-49.
• Ricketts (R-NE) amendment to require the President to consult Israel, Iran and other countries on the AUMF repeal failed 31-62.
• Cruz (R-TX) amendment on the President’s use of force against Iran failed 41-55.
• Sullivan (R-AK) amendment on responding to threats from Iran failed 38-57.
• Scott (R-FL) amendment to set up a joint select committee on Afghanistan failed 33-62.
• Hawley (R-MO) amendment to establish Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance failed 26-68.

House has not considered the measure.

Aid to Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and Taiwan

Just when it appeared that the Biden administration’s request for assistance to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and Gaza appeared dead, the Senate began a last-ditch effort to resurrect the bill.

On February 7, the Senate rejected 49-50 (with 60 votes needed to pass) a procedural step to advance the foreign assistance package with a border security bill attached that had been negotiated by a three-Senator bipartisan group.

On February 8, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) brought the measure up again, this time without the border security bill that Republicans long insisted had to be included in the bill. With this revote, the Senate approved bringing up the new $95 billion bill 67-32 with 17 Republicans voting aye.

On February 13, by a vote of 70 – 29 Tuesday morning following an all-night session, the Senate approved the emergency national security funding package, which includes $60 billion in war aid for Ukraine alongside funding for Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian aid for Gaza.

In April, the House finally approved the long-stalled Biden administration’s emergency national security funding package totaling about $95 billion. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) divided the bill into four parts, each of which was separately voted on:

• Ukraine aid — the most controversial portion of the bill totaling $61 billion — passed 311-112, with 210 Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor. 112 Republicans opposed the bill.
• The $26 billion Israel funding bill was approved 366-58, with 173 Democrats in favor and 193 Republicans supporting.
• Aid to Taiwan went forward 385 to 34.
• The bill to impose sanctions on Iran and require the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or ban the app in the United States passed 360 to 58.

On April 23, the Senate approved the House-passed bill by a vote of 79-18 and it was subsequently signed by President Biden.