[1] The act is named in honor of Representative Mac Thornberry,[2] who served as either the chair or the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

[2][3] The $740 billion bill includes pay raises for America's soldiers, modernizations for equipment, and provisions to require more scrutiny before troops are withdrawn from Germany or Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump had threatened to veto the bill because it did not include a repeal of 1996 legislation shielding internet companies from being liable for what is posted on their websites by third parties.

The bill also includes a provision to limit the president's use of emergency declarations to divert military construction funds to finance the expansion of the Mexico–United States barrier.

[6] Senator Mitt Romney's (R-UT) amendment to restrict President Trump's ability to reduce U.S. military presence in Germany failed.

Senator Jeff Merkley's (D-OR) amendment requiring federal law enforcement uniforms to identify an individual and their agency, limit their activities to federal property and the immediate surrounding area unless a governor or mayor requests more assistance and to publicly disclose the number of personnel deployed and what activities they are carrying out did not get a vote.

The act generated oppositions from many small businesses, who saw it as additional and burdensome red tape and government intrusion on privacy.

[34] The bill also included an amendment originally offered by Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) in the Senate version[35] with a limited ban on the transfer of bayonets, grenades, weaponized tracked combat vehicles, and weaponized drones to police departments, as well as requiring law enforcement to be trained in de-escalation and citizens' constitutional rights.

"[38][39] The bill approved by the House[40] included a provision to require the executive to consult with Congress before invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, and blocked appropriations from being used for nuclear testing.