Culture wars: House passes defense bill as Dems protest partisan amendments

The House narrowly passed its annual defense policy bill Friday after spending the week adopting several partisan amendments that hemorrhaged Democratic support for the legislation.

In the end, only six Democrats voted for the bill, which passed 217-199 mostly along party lines. Three Republicans opposed the measure.

The bill, named the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act, authorizes the Defense Department to spend $895 billion in fiscal 2025, a 1% increase over the previous year. It includes several provisions to improve pay, housing, health and child care for military members.