House passes NDAA as members leave town, angering conservatives in the process

The House passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, before its members leave for the year, angering many conservatives who feel as though Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) caved in negotiations.

However, much like when then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) passed bipartisan legislation that hard-line conservatives did not agree with, there will likely be a revolt.

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“The Members of the House Freedom Caucus are prepared to use all available leverage to change the status quo,” the House Freedom Caucus said in a statement. “We will not simply vote ‘no’ on bad legislation and go home for Christmas.”

While the threat is vague, and members of the Freedom Caucus have refused to expand on what they mean by it, the disdain for this year’s NDAA was real.

The vote on Thursday was 310-118, with 73 Republicans voting against the NDAA.

A main point of opposition to the NDAA was Johnson’s decision to include a short-term extinction of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until April 19, 2024.

“It’s upsetting to me,” Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), who voted against the NDAA, said. “You can see the kind of trickery of DC where they try and attach FISA to the NDAA. That way, they can put you into that situation where if you vote against it, ‘Oh, you hate our military.’ Or if you vote for it, ‘Oh, you hate individual privacy.’ So these (are) poison pills.”

But Johnson and the House members leave for the year having passed this year’s NDAA despite angering many members of his conference. However, when they return, Johnson will have to put together and manage a highly fractured conference of people upset with his handling of topics and must-pass legislation over the past month.

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The Senate voted 87-13 on Wednesday to pass the 3,000-page, $886 billion legislation, which sets the Pentagon’s spending priorities for the fiscal year, includes a 5.2% pay raise for troops, $11.5 billion for China deterrence efforts, and $800 million in Ukraine military assistance.

The legislation now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.