Overview

• The House approved H.R. 3838 on a largely party-line vote, with four Republicans opposed and 17 Democrats in support.
• The bill pairs the annual defense policy measure with the SPEED Act, which sponsors say will cut the Pentagon’s requirements timeline to as few as 90 days and prioritize commercial solutions.
• It authorizes priorities highlighted by HASC leaders, including a 3.8% pay raise, major shipbuilding and airpower investments, munitions replenishment, R&D, and Indo-Pacific posture, with actual funding to be set by appropriators.
• Floor debate was tightly managed as the Rules Committee allowed 298 of 1,170 proposed amendments, drawing Democratic complaints about excluded proposals and partisan add-ons.
• Two space-related reporting requirements were adopted, while an effort to allow a vote on repealing a reconciliation provision tied to transferring a space vehicle widely assumed to be Space Shuttle Discovery was blocked and remains unconfirmed by NASA.