House Passes Annual Pentagon Funding Bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has notched up a win, passing the House version of the USD$895 billion National Defense Authorisation Act. The must-pass annual Pentagon funding bill passed 217-199 with 6 Democrats voting yes and three Republicans voting no.

• The final text of the bill includes a range of conservative 'poison pill' policy amendments, meaning it will require significant work to resolve it with the Senate. But it is a strong performance from Johnson, suggesting he has broader support from the House Republican conference than for much of the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations process, when a bloc of conservative Republicans persistently derailed his agenda.
• The Washington Post notes: "In keeping with previous years, this bill authorizes expanded development and procurement of weapons and technology to maintain the United States’ decisive edge in an increasingly tense strategic competition with China.
• "It also approves continued — and in some cases, expanded — support for key American partners such as Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, and seeks to bolster the Pentagon’s role in U.S. border security."