US Congress passes mammoth US$886 billion defence bill, now headed to Joe Biden
- The National Defence Authorisation Act includes provisions for aid to Ukraine and funding to counter China in the Indo-Pacific
- The sum for Kyiv, however, is dwarfed by the US$61 billion that Biden has requested in emergency spending for Ukraine that remains bogged down in Congress
More than two-thirds of the US House of Representatives voted in favour of a defence policy bill on Thursday that includes a record US$886 billion in annual military spending and authorises policies such as aid for Ukraine and push back against China in the Indo-Pacific.
It was more than the two-thirds majority required to pass the measure and send it to the White House for US President Joe Biden to sign into law.
Separate from the appropriations bills that set government spending levels, the NDAA authorises everything from pay rises for troops – this year’s will be 5.2 per cent – to purchases of ships, ammunition and aircraft.
Because it is one of the few major pieces of legislation that becomes law every year, members of Congress use it as a vehicle for a wide range of initiatives.