Senate passes military funding bill, sends it to Trump
by Lisa Hornung · UPIDec. 17 (UPI) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which sends the bill to President Donald Trump to sign, despite his concern about some measures in the bill.
The NDAA gives the Department of Defense $901 billion, which is about $8 billion more than Trump asked for. It authorizes spending for defense and national security programs.
The Senate voted 77-20 on the annual bill, which is 3,000 pages.
A provision withholds a portion Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel budget until he releases to Congress unedited video of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and copies of the orders for those strikes.
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But on Tuesday, Hegseth said he would not release that information.
"In keeping with long-standing Department of War policy ... Department of Defense policy, of course, we're not going to release a top secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public," he told reporters.
The strikes have drawn domestic and international condemnation and questions about their legality by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The bill will also raise military pay by 4% and finance improved military housing.
Trump said he takes issue with restrictions on changes in NATO policy in Europe and Ukraine spending.
The NDAA allocates $400 million for arming and equipping Ukraine's military, though Trump wants to withhold funding to pressure Kyiv to agree to his peace plan with Russia.
It also blocks the Defense Department from drawing down the number of troops in Europe to below 76,000 or giving over the role of Supreme Allied Commander of NATO until Hegseth shows that the decision was made with NATO allies. That position has been in U.S. hands for decades.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Armed Services chair who initiated the bill, has disagreed with the administration on NATO and Ukraine support.
Hegseth and Trump will also face limitations on the ousting of senior military staff. The bill requires the Pentagon to notify Congress and explain when members of the Joint Chiefs, combatant commanders and judge advocates general are fired. The administration ousted Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown earlier this year.
Despite his misgivings, Trump is expected to sign the bill.