$901B defense bill clears key Senate hurdle as year-end deadlines loom

The Senate advanced the annual defense policy bill on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote on Monday and completed final passage later in the week.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2026 is one of the legislative packages Congress must consider on an annual basis and has unlocked billions of dollars in funding for the Pentagon and many other defense-related items.

Lawmakers cleared the massive mandate package from a major procedural hurdle by a vote of 76 to 20. Senators will have the chance to fine-tune the package with several amendment votes in the coming days.

AFTER WEEKS OF DELAY AS THE SHUTDOWN CONTINUED, THE Senate DEVELOPED THE 2026 DEFENSE ACT

The roughly $901 billion package, about $8 billion more than President Donald Trump requested earlier this year, generally serves as a bookend for Congress and ends the year as one of several items on the docket that must pass. And, given that there is no deadline for government funding, this is the first time the NDAA has received treatment in the Senate.

Still, there are a host of issues MPs hope to address before leaving in the new year; These include fixing expiring Obamacare subsidies, confirming nearly 100 of Trump’s nominees, and a potential package of five bills that, if passed, would go a long way to stave off the specter of another government shutdown on Jan. 30.

Scattered across nearly 3,000 pages of the massive package are various provisions dealing with decades-old war authorities, attacks on drug vessels in the Caribbean and Ukraine, sanctions relief, and Washington, D.C.’s airspace.

This year’s NDAA will rescind authorizations for the use of military force (AUMFs) issued in 1991 and 2002 for the Gulf War and Iraq War, respectively. Lawmakers have found a rare bipartisan middle ground in their desire to thwart AUMFs, which have been used by previous administrations for decades to intervene in conflicts in the Middle East.

CONGRESS TAKES ACTION TO PREVENT THE PENTAGON FROM CUTTING US TROOPS IN EUROPE AND SOUTH KOREA

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks with reporters as he heads to the Senate’s weekly policy dinner at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 6, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

There is also a policy with various requirements to meet the Pentagon’s travel budget; one of which would force the agency to hand over all unedited footage of the Trump administration’s alleged attacks on drug ships.

It’s a pointed provision that underscores bipartisan concern in Congress over the administration’s handling of the attacks, especially in the wake of the Sept. 2 double-tap strike in which many lawmakers demanded greater transparency and access to the footage.

There is also a provision that has sparked debate among Senate Republicans and Democrats that would roll back some safety standards in Washington, D.C. airspace. This follows a collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this year.

CONGRESS RACES AGAINST 3-WEEK DEADLINE FOR BUSY YEAR-END LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, April 21, 2023. (Tom Brenner/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel, are pushing to eliminate that provision with their own amendment that would codify safety regulations after a mid-air collision.

“Cruz, along with family members of those killed in the crash that killed 67 people, said the provision did not go through the usual authorizations.”

“Normally, when you add a provision to the NDAA that affects aviation, you would request permission from the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee,” Cruz said. “No permission was requested. We discovered this provision when the final version of the bill was passed by the Parliament and became law.”

There are also several provisions related to Ukraine, including an expansion of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which would authorize $400 million each year to purchase weapons from U.S. defense companies.

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There is a provision that would prevent the United States from quietly cutting off intelligence support to the country by providing at least 48 hours’ notice detailing why, how long it will last, and the impact on Ukraine.

There is also a provision that would strengthen reporting requirements for all foreign aid flowing to Ukraine from the United States and other allies who support the country in its conflict with Russia.