Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, leaves a gathering with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby in Seoul, Jan. 26. Yonhap

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed an annual defense policy bill for fiscal year 2027, containing language that tightens restrictions on the use of funds to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Korea.

The House voted 216 to 212 to approve the nearly $1.15 trillion bill, called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), for the fiscal year running from October to September next year, according to The Hill and other media outlets.

In the section on the oversight of U.S. military posture on the Korean Peninsula, this year's NDAA says that amounts authorized to be appropriated by the act may not be obligated or expended to curtail the number of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) troops below the current 28,500.

But the latest bill stipulates that none of the amounts, authorized to be appropriated by the act or "otherwise made available for fiscal years 2026 or 2027," may be obligated or expended to curtail the number of USFK troops below the current level.

The change, if enforced, would restrict the use of federal funds — allocated not only by the NDAA but also by other measures — to reduce the troop level in Korea.

The bill came amid lingering speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration could consider a force posture change in Korea as part of a troop adjustment to better counter an increasingly assertive China or other security challenges beyond the Korean Peninsula.

Like the previous versions, the bill also calls for reinforcing the Korea-U.S. alliance by maintaining the U.S. troop presence, enhancing mutual defense cooperation and affirming the United States' "extended deterrence" commitment to using the "full range" of U.S. military capabilities.

Congress passes the defense bill each year to set defense policy and funding priorities and give guidance on a range of key security matters.

Before its finalization, the defense bill is set to go through a series of congressional procedures, including the process of bridging gaps between the separate House and Senate versions, and merging them into a single bill.