The Hawaii lawmakers said the $893 billion bill, which authorizes defense spending for the year and sets policies for the U.S. Department of Defense, was effectively taken over by House Republicans, who introduced provisions focusing on transexual personnel, electric vehicles, pride flags and other partisan issues while dismissing Democrat-introduced provisions.

Despite their outspoken opposition, the bill passed the House on a mostly partisan 231-196 vote.

“It is a very serious vote, and I have consistently voted for the final bipartisan versions of the NDAAs throughout my time in Congress,” said Case, who serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, in a statement released shortly after the vote. “This year is different, because the last eight months of the second Trump administration have been among the most disruptive, destructive, if not destructive in our armed services’ recent history.

Case decried a litany of abuses he said have been committed under the Trump administration, from leaks of sensitive military data to the unjust firings of qualified leaders to the improper use of military personnel for domestic law enforcement.

“Today’s House version of the NDAA, complicated still further by divisive and irrelevant mandates, does nothing to fulfill Congress’ responsibility to oversee and correct these serious risks and consequences,” he said. “In the big picture, although there is much in this bill I fought successfully to include, I cannot sanction the continuation of this reckless path. I voted against the NDAA today because our national defense bills must provide for the common defense, I don’t believe this version does so, and my vote is both a statement and a hope that with improvement I will be able to vote for the final version, as I have in past NDAAs.”

Tokuda took to the House floor to voice her displeasure with the bill and the Republican majority she said politicized what is traditionally significant non-partisan legislation.

“When the Armed Services Committee reported out this year’s NDAA, it was a strong, bipartisan bill that included real investments in housing, healthcare, and national security that I was proud to support,” Tokuda said. “But for the third year in a row, House Republicans have chosen to completely hijack this committee’s bipartisan work on the National Defense Authorization Act by forcing through divisive, poison pill provisions and shutting down debate on the issues that truly matter to our troops and veterans.

“I submitted ten amendments focused on improving national security and the quality of life of our service members, such as strengthening military housing, standing up to China, supporting Native Hawaiian veterans, and holding sexual predators accountable,” she continued. “Not one made it in. This isn’t just a procedural failure, it’s a betrayal of our oath, a failure of oversight, and a disservice to our service members and their families who rely on us to protect their interests. We owe them respect, integrity, and serious leadership—not political theatrics or culture-war stunts.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the legislation achieves its purpose of ensuring that U.S. military forces remain “the most lethal in the world.”

“This legislation advances President Trump and House Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” Johnson said in a statement released after the vote. “The NDAA builds on the landmark investments included in the Working Families Tax Cut, ensuring America has both the economic strength and the military power to deter our enemies and protect our interests worldwide. The legislation provides resources to improve the livelihoods of America’s brave men and women in uniform by giving them a well-deserved pay raise, and ensures our warfighters have access to the best and most innovative military technologies.”

Despite his opposition to the final House version of the bill, Case noted several provisions he introduced that will benefit Hawaii and the Indo-Pacific, including $1.7 billion is military construction projects in Hawaii; a provision ordering an assessment of critical infrastructure investments needed in Hawaii for any potential conflict-related military needs; and an expansion of authority for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which focuses on deterring Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.