House Passes $833 Billion Defense Bill With Murky Path in Senate

The US House backed a $833 billion Pentagon spending measure that would boost money for Lockheed Martin Corp.‘s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and direct $4 billion to the US submarine industrial base while prohibiting troops’ access to abortions and gender-affirming care.

Members passed the spending measure for fiscal 2025 by 217-198, along party lines, with most Democrats opposing the measure’s harsh social policy prescriptions and lack of funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative—an account that US Congress has financed since 2016.

GOP leaders corralled their narrow majority by avoiding add-ons that could have splintered their restive conference while ...