House Republicans this week unveiled legislation that would add $150 billion to the Pentagon's budget, raising total defense spending above $1 trillion in a single fiscal year for the first time in U.S. history.
The House and Senate Armed Services committees developed the bill, which would earmark $25 billion to support President Donald Trump's calls for a missile defense system similar to Israel's Iron Dome, as well as $33.7 billion to build new ships, $20.4 billion for munitions, and $7.2 billion for aircraft, among other expenditures.
"Our defense industrial base has weakened. America's deterrence is failing, and without a generational investment in our national defense, we will lose the ability to defeat our adversaries," House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said in a statement released with the legislation. "With this bill, we have the opportunity to get back on track and restore our national security and global leadership."
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., hailed the legislation as a "generational upgrad for our nation's defense capabilities," adding, "This is about building the future of American defense, achieving peace through strength, and ultimately deterring war."
Democrats on the committee were less enthusiastic about the bill. House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., ripped the legislation as a "partisan budget reconciliation gimmick [that] will be paid for by devastating cuts that can only come from critical programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and student loan and grant programs at the Department of Education."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.