Senate Democrats today blocked the fiscal 2027 defense authorization act from moving to the Senate floor, impeding the trajectory of the typically bipartisan measure, due to opposition to the war in Iran and concerns about the growth in defense spending.
Senators voted 50-46 on party lines, failing to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to bring it to the floor.
Today’s vote marks the second time in two weeks that lawmakers have held up progress on the National Defense Authorization Act, which would greenlight about $1.14 trillion in funding for the Defense Department and make policy changes with implications for troop pay, drone operations and defense contractor earnings.
Another key concern is the high price tag of the FY27 budget request, which — if coupled with a further $350 billion in reconciliation spending requested by the Pentagon — would bring defense spending to a historic height of $1.5 trillion at the same time the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts to other government agencies.
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said both the war and the budget influenced his vote against proceeding with the NDAA, noting that Congress has yet to come up with a bipartisan deal that sets an agreed upon topline for defense and nondefense spending.
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