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WASHINGTON House progressives will have a few chances to hold down the defense budget this week, but its going to be an uphill fight.

The House is set to vote this week on two Democratic amendments to cut the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Acts $740 billion top line. One would reduce it by roughly 10 percent, and another would undo a $24 billion a plus-up the House Armed Services Committee passed earlier this month.

Key Republicans have warned that cutting the NDAA would cost their support, which Democrats likely need to pass the bill. When the House Rules Committee met Monday to screen amendments, the panels top Republican, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, said his party likes the bill as-is.

So long as this bill remains largely in its current form and the funding levels remain where they are, I think you will see overwhelming support from Republicans, Cole said.

On Tuesday, the panel advanced a rule that allows consideration of 476 amendments. Among them:

In 2020, the House and Senate defeated twin measures to reduce the Pentagon budget by 10 percent to address the pandemics economic fallout. Then, Democrats split, with the Senate voting 23-77 and the House voting 93-324.

While Republicans argue President Joe Bidens budget request is inadequate to counter Russia and China, progressives say that addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and other domestic needs should take precedence over larding the Pentagons budget.

We face imminent threats from the COVID pandemic, climate change, growing economic inequality, and systemic racial and ethnic inequities [and] also, domestic terrorism, Lee said. It is time to shift our spending priorities to meet these priorities. I personally support much larger cuts to the Pentagon budget.

On Monday, Democratic leaders House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern and HASC Chairman Rep. Adam Smith said they dont like the Republican increase, but they see themselves as outnumbered.

From my vantage point, I think we spend too much on our military budget, but Im clearly in the minority after listening to everybody here speak today, McGovern said.

At the same hearing, Smith reiterated that he supports Bidens budget but lost his panels vote at markup. There, 14 HASC Democrats voted for the plus-up proposed by HASC ranking member Mike Rogers, R-Ala.

I think Biden budget was right. But you know, I do believe in democracy. We had a vote and I lost, Smith told the panel.

Joe Gould is the Congress reporter for Defense News.

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House takes up progressive-led defense spending cuts this week - DefenseNews.com