US House passes $1.15 trillion military bill expanding Israel cooperation

Bill to fund Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169305" data-entity-type="event">war on Iran and a handful of Trump priorities passes largely along party lines, faces Senate uncertainty.Republicans in the United States House of Representatives have narrowly passed a massive $1.15bn military spending package, despite concerns from Democratic lawmakers over the price tag and enhanced military technology collaboration with Israel.The bill passed in the House on Wednesday by a margin of 216 to 212, largely adhering to party lines, with the exception of six Democrats who voted in favour and seven Republicans who opposed it.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US attacks Iran for 11th consecutive nightlist 2 of 3Proposed US-Saudi nuclear energy deal: What we know so farlist 3 of 3Iran war’s $37bn price tag: Why does the Pentagon want $67bn more?end of list“Final vote total for the NDAA today which tragically merges our military technology and supply chains with Israel’s,” Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who has clashed with the White House and been a vocal critic of the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169305" data-entity-type="event">war on Iran, said in a social media post responding to the vote.“Let’s hope this version fails in the Senate because Section 219 is a betrayal of our sovereignty.”The 2027 National Defence Authorisation Act, or NDAA, is a reflection of President Donald Trump’s request for an enormous increase in the country’s already unmatched military budget, seeking to boost spending from $900bn last year to $1.5 trillion.Trump has said the increase is necessary as the US fights a widely unpopular Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169305" data-entity-type="event">war on Iran, launched by the US and Israel in late February.The 2027 NDAA has also attracted scrutiny for a measure that would expand military technological cooperation with Israel, despite growing support among voters for ending military assistance to Israel.The bill now faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where Democrats are likely to object to the high cost at a time when the White House is moving to slash access to social programmes. Senate Democrats blocked debate on the NDAA in a vote last week, with Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling it a “permission slip” for the government’s Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="169305" data-entity-type="event">war on Iran.