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.