In one of its final votes, the Armed Services Committee approved an amendment from Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a hard-line Trump ally, to formally adopt the name change.

Trump signed an executive order last September authorizing the use of the Department of War in place of the Department of Defense. The move to revert to a title the bureaucracy last held in the 1940s reflects a tougher military that fights and decisively wins wars, according to the president and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.

Jackson similarly argued that permanently changing the name to the War Department “reflects the determination and resolve” of the military.

“Restoring the name Department of War sends an unmistakable signal to the world,” Jackson said. “Deterrence only works when adversaries believe America is willing to fight and win to secure its interests.”

While many Republicans have adopted Trump’s preferred terminology and Hegseth has taken on the title secretary of war, the Pentagon’s legal name remains the Department of Defense until Congress signs off to make the change permanent. The proposal must also pass muster in the Senate, but it is likely to face resistance there because of the need for Democratic votes to advance legislation.

Top House Armed Services Democrat Adam Smith of Washington mocked the proposal as “one of the dumbest things that has been done by this administration.”

“It’s semantic nonsense at a time when we have a lot of substantive arguments,” Smith said.

Opponents of the move have also argued it would waste money. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that a full renaming could cost as much as $125 million.

Hegseth expressed gratitude to Jackson following the vote, writing in a social media post early Friday: “The Department of War will officially be restored soon.”

The broader National Defense Authorization Act, which now carries the renaming provision, cleared the Armed Services Committee in a bipartisan 44-12 vote. But a dozen Democrats opposed the bill, marking the panel’s most partisan vote on the legislation in years.

Those Democrats largely opposed the Pentagon bill over its $1 trillion price tag, which they dubbed excessive and wasteful, and a lack of meaningful guardrails related to the nearly 100-day war with Iran.

Voting to adopt Trump’s Department of War rebrand, while not necessarily decisive, was for Democratic opponents yet another act of political fealty by Republicans.

“It’s performative bullshit,” said Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), one of the dozen Democrats who opposed the bill over Iran and the massive defense budget. “I think ending on that performative note summed up the whole situation.”