The U.S. House of Representatives passed a far-reaching defense policy bill authorizing a record $901 billion in annual military spending.
At Wednesday’s vote tally, 312 members voted in favor of passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), while 112 opposed the bill. It now goes to the Senate for consideration and is expected to be passed next week.
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The $901 billion in defense spending for fiscal year 2026 is $8 billion more than President Donald Trump requested in May of this year.
The comprehensive 3,086-page bill released Sunday includes typical NDAA provisions regarding defense equipment to compete militarily with rivals such as China and Russia. The bill also includes measures to improve the living conditions of U.S. military personnel, including a pay increase of about 4% and improvements to base housing.
Lawmakers also forced the inclusion of several provisions that strengthen the United States’ commitment to defending Europe in the face of Russian aggression, including $400 million in military aid to Ukraine over the next two years to repel Russian aggression.
Another measure requires the Pentagon to keep at least 76,000 troops and key equipment in Europe, absent consultation with NATO allies.
But this year’s bill also slashed several programs Trump denounced, including about $1.6 billion in funding for initiatives focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and climate change.
The bill will now be introduced in the Senate, where leaders aim to pass it before lawmakers go on vacation. President Trump is expected to sign the bill upon arrival at the White House.
Bill puts pressure on Defense Secretary Hegseth over transparency of attacks
The NDAA is one of the few major pieces of legislation that generally enjoys broad bipartisan support, passing Congress every year since its enactment in 1961.
This year’s process has been more eventful than usual and comes amid heightened friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump administration over control of the U.S. military.
Before the vote, lawmakers from both parties urged lawmakers to support the important defense bill, even if they opposed individual provisions in the bill.
Mike Hanna, Al Jazeera’s Washington DC correspondent, said the bill passed “really easily” despite “significant opposition”.
The NDAA also includes several measures to challenge the Pentagon, particularly calls for greater transparency into deadly attacks by the U.S. military on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean in recent months.
Hanna said a “highly salient” part of the bill threatens to take away 25% of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel expenses unless he discloses more information about U.S. attacks on ships in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, including allowing Congress to see unedited video of the attacks and orders to carry out the attacks.
“This appears to be a very strong action by the House of Representatives to force the Secretary of Defense to reveal the details of these attacks,” Hanna said.
At least 86 people have been killed in 22 known attacks since the Trump administration announced its first attack in early September.
The president described them as necessary counter-drug efforts, even though they are widely considered illegal under both international and U.S. law.
Hardline conservative lawmakers had expressed frustration that the NDAA did not do more to reduce U.S. commitments overseas, including in Europe.
In response, Republican Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers said, “We need a responsive, capable and lethal fighting force.”
“The threats to our country, particularly from China, are more complex and difficult than at any point in the past 40 years,” Rogers said.
Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the bill is not enough to rein in the Trump administration, but is “a step in the right direction to reaffirm the authority of Congress.”
“My biggest concern is that the Department of Defense, run by (Secretary Hegseth) and President Trump, is completely unaccountable to Congress and to the law,” Smith said.
