The House passed the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act on July 22, 2026, by a vote of 216 to 212, with six Democrats joining Republicans to send the $1.15 trillion defense authorization to the Senate. On the same day, House Republicans separately advanced a $95 billion budget reconciliation blueprint, 216 to 214, that includes more than $70 billion for the Iran war alongside $12 billion in agricultural assistance and funding to implement the SAVE America Act. NPR

The NDAA, designated H.R. 8800 in the 119th Congress, was reported to the House on June 15 and considered by the Committee of the Whole on July 21. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the bill "comes with the inclusion of $1.15 trillion in discretionary spending." The figure marks an increase from the prior-year FY2026 NDAA, signed by President Trump in December 2025, which authorized nearly $1 trillion in defense spending. That earlier bill provided $800 million for Ukraine through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a 4% pay raise for service members, and extensions of childcare and military housing programs. NPR Reuters

The Senate version of the FY2027 NDAA, designated S. 4784, was the subject of a Senate Armed Services Committee report, S. Rept. 119-127. Senate Democrats blocked a version of the NDAA the previous week, demanding concessions to curb President Trump's war effort in Iran. Reuters reported that blockade on July 14, characterizing the bill as authorizing an "unprecedented" $1.15 trillion for defense. The Senate version also included a proposal to rename the Pentagon to the "Department of War" and sought $750 million for Ukraine, up from the $400 million per year provided under FY2026. Reuters Reuters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S.-Iran war has cost taxpayers $37.5 billion. The U.S. death toll in the conflict stands at 18 service members, with nearly 500 injured. NPR

The reconciliation blueprint's path through the House required Speaker Mike Johnson to overcome resistance from fiscal hardliners within his own conference. Johnson convinced enough Republican members to advance the framework despite those concerns. The reconciliation procedure allows the budget blueprint to bypass the Senate's typical 60-vote threshold and potentially pass on a party-line vote, which is the mechanism House Republicans are now positioning to use for the Iran war funding, farm aid, and SAVE America Act implementation. NPR

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wants to prioritize negotiations to extend government funding beyond the midterm elections. The Senate's next move on both the NDAA and the reconciliation package remains the central question. The House-passed NDAA will need to be reconciled with S. 4784, and the Senate's prior blockade over Iran war provisions signals that conference negotiations could prove difficult. NPR

Separately on the appropriations track, the House Appropriations Committee released its FY2027 Defense Appropriations Bill on June 10 and approved the measure on June 24. Chairman Tom Cole spoke before the House Committee on Rules in support of H.R. 9770, the appropriations vehicle. House Appropriations Committee

On the congressional stock-trading ban front, the Congressional Research Service published report R48641 on July 15, examining bills and resolutions introduced in the 119th Congress that propose to limit or prohibit members' financial activities. GOP leaders had planned as of July 15 to bring a long-stalled stock-trading ban to a House floor vote the following week. Politico CRS

Multiple vehicles for a trading ban exist in the 119th Congress. H.R. 1908, the End Congressional Stock Trading Act, introduced by Rep. Tim Burchett, was referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development. H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act introduced by House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, would generally prohibit members, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing stocks and would require public notice before covered individuals sell. In the Senate, S.1879, the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act, sponsored by Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, passed the House, was presented to the President, and became law. Congress.gov Congress.gov

The NPR reporting on the July 22 House votes contains no mention of stock-trade limits or stock-trading restrictions being attached to either the NDAA or the reconciliation blueprint. The stock-trading ban legislation has moved on a separate track from the defense and reconciliation packages.

The two House votes on July 22 set up a compressed legislative calendar. The NDAA heads to a Senate that blocked it once already over Iran war objections. The reconciliation blueprint, if it moves through the Senate on a party-line vote, would deliver the bulk of the administration's Iran war funding request without requiring minority cooperation. Thune's stated interest in extending government funding past the midterms adds a third track that will compete for floor time in both chambers.