The House Armed Services Committee advanced its version of the fiscal 2027 defense policy bill Thursday night after adopting dozens of bipartisan amendments on critical minerals procurement, weather resilience and chemical cleanups.
The daylong markup also saw lawmakers dismiss Democratic amendments on data centers and offshore energy production before approving the draft of the National Defense Authorization Act, 44-12.
The bipartisan vote moves the NDAA, H.R. 8800, one step closer to the House floor, where it will be subject to additional amendment votes. The Senate is set to unveil and mark up its own version of the NDAA sometime next week. Lawmakers hope to hammer out a final product before the end of the year.
The House measure is a bipartisan compromise sponsored by Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.). It comes loaded with provisions requiring the Department of Defense to take action on a host of energy and environmental priorities, from rising electricity prices and nuclear power to environmental remediation and critical minerals production — all in the name of military readiness and national security.
