"The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve its annual defence budget on Wednesday, authorising $901bn in military spending while also pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to hand over video footage of military strikes on suspected drug-running boats in international waters close to Venezuela. The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a 3.8 percent pay rise for service members, advanced through Congress with broad support from both parties."
"But the more than 3,000-page-long bill also imposed some constraints on the Trump administration's deployment of the military. In addition to demanding more information about maritime strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean, the bill locks in current US troop numbers in Europe and sets out new allocations for specific forms of military assistance to Ukraine, as demanded by Democrats who want greater oversight of military affairs and assurance of support for Ukraine."
The Senate advanced the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, authorizing $901bn in military spending and a 3.8 percent pay rise for service members. Senators approved the bill with broad bipartisan support and sent it to the president for signature. The legislation imposes constraints on the executive branch by demanding footage and information about maritime strikes near Venezuela, locking in current troop levels in Europe, and specifying allocations for military assistance to Ukraine. The bill adopts many administration proposals on personnel policy while simultaneously strengthening congressional scrutiny of the Department of Defense, drawing criticism from members of both parties.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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