The US Senate has passed a $886 billion defense budget for the next year, but it is expected to face challenges in the House of Representatives. The budget, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), was passed by the Senate with a vote of 86 to 11. The fiscal 2024 NDAA authorizes a record-breaking amount of spending and covers a wide range of areas, including troop pay raises, purchases of ships and aircraft, and support for Ukraine.
While the NDAA typically garners bipartisan support and passes every year, the House version of the bill has faced obstacles this year. The Republican-controlled House passed its version of the bill with a narrow majority of 219-210. Hard-right Republicans added amendments addressing controversial social issues, such as repealing a Pentagon policy on reimbursing expenses for service members seeking abortions. However, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer assured that these provisions would not become law.
The Senate passed multiple amendments to the bill, including some focusing on competition with China. Schumer highlighted the stark contrast between the Senate’s bipartisan approach and the partisan legislation pushed by House Republicans. Despite Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, senators from both sides of the aisle expressed their desire to avoid letting social issues obstruct the passage of the defense bill.
The next steps to making the NDAA law involve reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions. A compromise bill must pass both chambers before it can be sent to President Joe Biden for approval or veto. Notably, the House of Representatives already approved $300 million in support of Ukraine’s security in the 2024 defense budget, which aligns with the administration’s request but falls short of the previous year’s allocation. In 2023, Ukraine received $800 million, but this year’s budget reduced it by $500 million.
