Key Facts

• The Senate vote to begin debate on the NDAA was 50-46, mostly along party lines.
• Democrats opposed the bill due to Trump’s escalation of the war in Iran and provisions increasing US-Israel military ties.
• The NDAA is an annual defense policy bill that helps approve the military budget.
• The bill proposed a $1.15 trillion budget for the Pentagon.
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill would allow Trump to continue military actions in Iran without Congress’s approval.
• A group of 14 civil liberties, foreign policy, and anti-war organizations urged senators to block the bill unless there was a vote on stopping funding for the Iran war.
• The groups argued Congress should use its budget power to control war decisions, as the Constitution gives it that authority.
• The bill’s failure to advance is a rare setback for legislation that usually passes easily because it is seen as essential for national security.