On Wednesday, a group of 13 House members diverged from their party lines regarding the defense bill for the upcoming fiscal year.
The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027 with a vote tally of 216-212. Notably, six Democrats voted in favor, while seven Republicans opposed it.
The Democrats who sided with the bill included Henry Cuellar from Texas, Don Davis from North Carolina, Jared Golden from Maine, Vicente Gonzalez from Texas, Adam Gray from California, and Marie Grusenkamp Perez from Washington. An independent from California, Rep. Kevin Kiley, who recently left the Republican Party, also supported the measure. (Related article: House reopens floor days after holdout shut down under SAVE America Act)
Reportedly, Mr. Golden mentioned some achievements he secured on the Armed Services Committee, such as prohibiting naval combat ships from being built in foreign shipyards and allocating funds for an additional destroyer for Bath Steel Works, according to a statement from his office.
Six Democrats cross the aisle to join Republicans in supporting annual defense policy billhttps://t.co/MX1gzgmfjM
— The Hill (@thehill) July 22, 2026
His statement emphasized, “This bill is a victory for America’s shipbuilders, ensuring job security for thousands of workers at Bath Steelworks and allowing them to continue producing the high-quality destroyers that are crucial to our navy,” he remarked.
Similarly, Mr. Cuellar framed his vote as a means to bolster military welfare. He asserted, “I voted for the National Defense Authorization Act to enhance our national defense while also improving pay, housing, and child care for military personnel and their families.”
On the Republican side, the holdouts included Rep. Josh Brechen from Oklahoma, Rep. Tim Burchett from Tennessee, Rep. Eli Crane from Arizona, Rep. Harriet Hageman from Wyoming, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky, and Rep. Chip Roy from Texas, based on reports.
Massey had objections regarding Section 219, which aimed to set up a permanent office within the Department of Defense for U.S.-Israeli defense tech collaboration. Kentucky officials sought to amend the bill to eliminate this section. However, the House Rules Committee decided this provision wouldn’t be factored into the vote.
Luna expressed concerns about election bills attached to funding proposals, warning that the way these legislative items were consolidated made them susceptible to removal. She shared her thoughts in a post, here.
She stated, “If amendments had been proposed the way I suggested, it would have needed 60 votes in the Senate to advance the bill without the SAVE America provisions. This makes it even trickier for them to push it forward.”
Burchett, Crane, and Roy had previously collaborated with 11 other Republicans on June 30 to thwart procedural strategies associated with the same election bill disputes.
The current bill would authorize a substantial $1.15 trillion, increasing from last year’s $900.6 billion, and raise pay increases from 5% to 7%. According to the Army Times.
Rep. Adam Smith from Washington, a leading Democrat on military matters, remarked, “Supporting this bill is essentially endorsing an ongoing conflict.” As mentioned by Time.
