WASHINGTON — As chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Mike Rogers is leading the charge in advancing a $150 billion defense investment over the next decade as part of the Republican-backed budget bill.
The legislation, which includes about $25 billion for President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome initiative, passed out of committee 35-21 Tuesday with five Democrats joining Republicans to support it. The plan was developed alongside the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“This is a historic day,” Rogers said. “Never before has (the House Armed Services Committee) had the opportunity to use reconciliation to make a generational investment in our national security.”
The legislation is part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that aims to extend the 2017 tax cuts and slash domestic spending, while also boosting Pentagon and border spending. The Armed Services Committee was one of the first to hold a markup on its piece of the bill.
The defense legislation includes $34 billion for shipbuilding, $9 billion to improve servicemembers’ quality of life, and $21 billion for munitions.
“The time for this level of investment is long overdue,” Rogers said. “It’s clear we are no longer deterring our adversaries. The threats we face today from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and others are much more serious and challenging than we ever faced.”
The boost in defense spending also aims to expand U.S. production of rare earth and critical minerals that are used in technologies that support the defense sector.
House Democrats used the markup to criticize Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a host of issues, including his use of Signal. Democrats also decried efforts to remove curriculum, like that about the Tuskegee Airmen, and books from the military and its academies to align with Trump’s efforts to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government. The Democrats on the committee offered up 21 amendments to these claims, all of which were defeated by Republicans.
Rep. John Garamendi, a Democrat from California, called out Republicans’ focus on increased defense spending, while other sections of the bill could target cuts to Medicaid and food assistance.
“$150 billion out of the mouths of children who are not going to get a school lunch program or a breakfast program,” Garamendi said. “That’s what’s happening here.”
The Homeland Security Committee also held its markup Tuesday, approving $46.5 billion for the border wall and billions more toward more Customs and Border Protection personnel. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, a member of the committee, voted for the legislation alongside all Republicans on the committee.
“This is a generational border security overhaul,” Strong said in a post on X. “We must provide the necessary resources to fund President Trump’s border security agenda.”