Senate Democrats block NDAA amid concerns on Iran War, budget topline

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats today blocked the fiscal 2027 defense authorization act from moving to the Senate floor, impeding the trajectory of the typically bipartisan measure, due to opposition to the war in Iran and concerns about the growth in defense spending.

Senators voted 50-46 on party lines, failing to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to bring it to the floor.

Today's vote marks the second time in two weeks that lawmakers have held up progress on the National Defense Authorization Act, which would greenlight about $1.14 trillion in funding for the Defense Department and make policy changes with implications for troop pay, drone operations and defense contractor earnings.

Another key concern is the high price tag of the FY27 budget request, which -- if coupled with a further $350 billion in reconciliation spending requested by the Pentagon -- would bring defense spending to a historic height of $1.5 trillion at the same time the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts to other government agencies.

Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said both the war and the budget influenced his vote against proceeding with the NDAA. "I think the most practical step is to settle the budget issues, because we understand that this war is a multifaceted dynamic that's very much more complicated than they initially thought," he told Breaking Defense.

"I think it's the type of legislation that we can revive quickly when we have the opportunity and the stars align," he added.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, a SASC member who voted for the bill in committee but voted against moving it to the floor today, said Republicans should negotiate with Democrats over the toplines for defense and nondefense budgets. "Generally, there's been some sort of parity. This time, the increase in defense is four times the increase on the domestic side," he said.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., announced earlier today that she would vote against the NDAA unless her amendment -- which would prohibit funds authorized in the bill from being used for the Iran war -- was included. "The President wants to rebuild Iran before he rebuilds America, and it's outrageous that Republicans are willing to roll over and let him."

Ahead of the vote, SASC Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told reporters that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's efforts to block the bill represent a "new low."

Throughout a confirmation hearing, Democrats expressed frustration when Jay Hurst, who is nominated to be the Pentagon's comptroller, repeatedly declined to answer questions about the cost of the Iran war. "I am unpersuaded by your professions of ignorance about the cost of the war," King said. "How much has the Iran War cost the American people?" Hurst responded by repeating the $29 billion estimate he had given lawmakers in May.