U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, voted Wednesday against House Republicans’ fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. Republicans added partisan provisions unrelated to national security, including voting legislation, while dramatically increasing discretionary national security spending to support President Donald Trump’s escalating war with Iran, according to a news release from Sewell’s office.
“One of my most solemn responsibilities as a member of Congress is ensuring that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to defend our nation,” Sewell said. “That’s why throughout my time in Congress, I have been proud to work across the aisle to craft a strong, bipartisan defense authorization bill.
“Unfortunately, House Republicans have once again abandoned that bipartisan tradition, attaching extreme, partisan provisions that have nothing to do with supporting our troops or strengthening our national security,” Sewell said. “Among them is House Republicans’ voter suppression bill—the SAVE America Act—which has absolutely no place in a bill meant to fund our armed forces. It is extremely troubling that Republicans would attempt to use our annual defense bill to make it harder for eligible Americans, including service members and their families, to exercise their fundamental right to vote.”
Congress has passed the National Defense Authorization Act annually since 1961. The NDAA authorizes funding levels for the Department of Defense and allows the armed forces to pay, train and equip U.S. service members, support America’s allies and conduct essential national security operations.
House Republicans’ fiscal 2027 NDAA includes an unprecedented $1.15 trillion in discretionary defense spending. That figure could reach $1.6 trillion when combined with Republicans’ forthcoming budget reconciliation legislation. The historic price tag comes as the Trump administration seeks additional resources for its escalating military operations in Iran.
“It is unacceptable that Republicans have chosen to bankroll President Trump’s unauthorized and escalating war in Iran, even as American service members continue to lose their lives,” Sewell said. “Congress should be working to bring this conflict to a close—not handing Trump another blank check to put our troops in harm’s way.”
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it is expected to undergo conference negotiations before returning to both chambers for further consideration.
“I am deeply disappointed that House Republicans have once again chosen partisan politics over our national security,” Sewell said. “I remain hopeful that the Senate will strip these poison pills so that I can once again support a defense authorization bill that puts our troops and our national security first.”
