House Democrats plan to use a debate Thursday on the defense policy bill to challenge President Donald Trump’s national security agenda, setting up fights over the Iran war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s firing of top officers and a record-high Pentagon budget request.
Because Republicans hold a 30-27 majority on the House Armed Services Committee, which is marking up its annual National Defense Authorization Act, contentious Democratic amendments are unlikely to succeed.
But the session, which usually stretches into the early hours, helps Democrats get Republicans on the record over Trump’s most controversial national security decisions.