Senate Democrats blocked a $1 trillion annual defense bill Tuesday, refusing to advance the legislation in protest of President Donald Trump’s handling of the war with Iran.
Why did Democratic senators block the defense bill?
The Senate voted 50-46, largely along party lines, failing to reach the 60 votes needed to advance the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill would authorize much of the Trump administration’s proposed $1.15 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027, The Associated Press reported.
Democrats argued Congress should not approve the defense bill while the Trump administration continues military operations in Iran. The vote came a day after the White House notified Congress that it had resumed bombing strikes against Iran, effectively ending a fragile ceasefire in the U.S.-Israel conflict.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged members of his caucus to oppose the legislation, stating that Congress should not move forward with the defense package while the conflict continues.
“The NDAA cannot become a permission slip for that recklessness that we see occurring in Iran,” Schumer said, per AP.
He continued, “Donald Trump does not get to drag the American people deeper into a war he cannot explain and does not know how to end — and then demand that Congress look the other way.”
Details on the opposed provisions to expand the U.S. military and defense budget
The war was not the only sticking point for Democrats. Several lawmakers also objected to provisions that would expand U.S. military and intelligence cooperation with Israel, as well as the size of the proposed Pentagon budget, according to Al Jazeera.
One provision would require the Pentagon to appoint an official to oversee joint defense technology efforts, including weapons research, production and military technology integration. Another measure in the Intelligence Authorization Act would also increase intelligence sharing between the two allies, according to Al Jazeera.
In a letter to colleagues last week, Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley and Peter Welch urged other senators not to advance the legislation, writing that lawmakers should not be “providing votes compelling [Trump] to deepen the U.S. relationship with Netanyahu’s extremist government.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Van Hollen also criticized what he called a “bloated budget” for the Pentagon and said the legislation places “no restraints on Trump’s illegal war against Iran.”
“Why would the United States Congress order the executive branch to share more intelligence, regardless of what the government of Israel is doing?” Van Hollen asked in a video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, per Al Jazeera.
