Senate passes NDAA, sending $900 billion defense policy bill to Trump

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Washington — The Senate approved a $900 cardinal defence argumentation measure known arsenic the National Defense Authorization Act connected Wednesday, sending it to the president's table for his signature.

The measurement cleared the precocious enclosure with wide bipartisan enactment successful a ballot of 77 to 20.

Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised the bill's bipartisan contented up of the ballot Wednesday.

"This volition beryllium the 65th twelvemonth successful a row, the 65th consecutive twelvemonth that Congress has travel unneurotic crossed the aisle and crossed 2 chambers to nonstop the president a measure designed to prolong and fortify the nationalist defense," Wicker said. "Everyone successful this Senate played a role."

Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, speaks during a quality league with Senate GOP leaders connected June 10, 2025 successful Washington, D.C.

The NDAA is an yearly must-pass portion of authorities that sets lawmakers' defence priorities. This year's version, which is much than 3,000 pages long, aims to codify much than a twelve of President Trump's enforcement orders, including prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion programs astatine the Defense Department, authorizing the usage of active-duty troops on the U.S.-Mexico borderline and deploying a "Golden Dome" rocket defence shield.

The measure includes a 3.8% wage rise for each work members. It besides includes connection that prohibits transgender women from participating successful women's diversion programs oregon activities astatine subject work academies.

The House approved the monolithic defence argumentation authorities past week successful a 312 to 112 vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson struggled to clasp his league unneurotic for a procedural vote, facing pushback from conservatives.

Some of the pushback came from the inclusion of assistance for Ukraine. The measure authorizes $400 cardinal for subject assistance successful some fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

The measure would besides rotation backmost the ineligible justifications utilized to onslaught Iraq successful 1991 and 2003, on with repealing sanctions connected Syria nether the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. It includes provisions that bounds the administration's quality to trim unit levels successful Europe, and withholds portion of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's question fund until the Pentagon hands implicit footage of the strikes connected alleged drug-smuggling boats adjacent Venezuela.

Since the House approved the bill, immoderate lawmakers person expressed concerns that it doesn't bash capable to restrict subject craft adjacent Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport adjacent the capital. Last week, National Transportation Safety Board seat Jennifer Homendy warned that a proviso successful the NDAA "does not successful immoderate mode heighten safety" and "reverses information changes" made aft a midair collision successful January betwixt a subject chopper and a rider pitchy that killed 67 people. The bill, Homendy said, "essentially gives the subject unfettered entree to the crowded and analyzable D.C. airspace."

Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Maria Cantwell of Washington, the seat and ranking subordinate connected the Senate Commerce Committee, person been pursuing a fix. The sheet precocious a measurement earlier this twelvemonth known arsenic the ROTOR Act, which would tighten the rules successful D.C. airspace. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has acknowledged involvement successful addressing the alteration with the legislation, which could travel arsenic portion of an appropriations bundle successful the coming weeks.

Caitlin Yilek contributed to this report.