Senate Passes $886 Billion Defense Bill, Drops Hard-Right Provisions

The legislation provides a 5.2% pay raise for military personnel, expands military partnerships, and extends a controversial surveillance program.

The Senate passed the $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 87-13, which sets Pentagon policy and provides a 5.2% pay raise for military personnel.
The bill authorizes expanded military partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and in Europe, aimed at countering China and Russia, and structural updates at bases and barracks.
The legislation extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through fiscal 2027, but future Ukraine aid remains mired in partisan battles.
Hard-right provisions aimed at undoing Pentagon policies on abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, and diversity initiatives were dropped from the final bill.
The bill also extends a program that allows the intelligence community to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign individuals located outside the United States until 2025.