President Joe Biden signed a defense policy bill that sets a record $886 billion in military spending and includes measures such as aid to Ukraine and countering China in the Indo-Pacific region.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by Congress last week. One of the few pieces of legislation passed by Congress each year, the document regulates everything from increased pay for military personnel and the purchase of ships and aircraft to political issues such as support for foreign partners such as Taiwan.
The nearly 3,100-page law would raise military pay by 5.2% and increase the overall national security budget by about 3%, to $886 billion. It also lists some Chinese battery companies that are barred from participating in Pentagon procurement.
The law includes a four-month extension of the controversial domestic surveillance provision, giving lawmakers more time to reform or preserve the program known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
This provision raised objections in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but not so serious as to derail passage of the legislation.
The law would extend one aid measure to Kyiv, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through the end of 2026, allocating $300 million for the program for the current fiscal year and the next.
But that figure is small compared to the $61 billion Biden has asked Congress to help Ukraine resist the Russian invasion.
Republicans refused to approve aid to Kyiv, linking it with the Democrats’ agreement to significantly tighten immigration laws.
