IT’S DONE! The littoral combat ship and the Space Corps survived yesterday as the House Armed Services Committee worked right up until the stroke of midnight to finalize its annual defense policy bill. The final vote approving the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act was 60 to 1, and was met by a round of applause after 14 hours of debates and dozens of votes on amendments.

In a statement immediately following passage, Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry noted the near-unanimous vote reflected the clear bipartisan consensus in Congress on the need to rebuild the U.S. military. “This 2018 bill is a key decision point. For six years, we have been just getting by — cutting resources as the world becomes more dangerous, asking more and more of those who serve, and putting off the tough choices,” Thornberry said. “Tonight, we begin charting a new course toward readiness recovery, and we do so with overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats alike.” The lone dissenting vote: Hawaii Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.