President Trump on Thursday signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, establishing spending at the Pentagon and other priorities for the coming year.
The bill approves a record $901 billion in military spending for fiscal 2026, roughly $8 billion more than what the Trump administration requested. It includes a nearly 4 percent pay increase for military members, $400 million in aid for Ukraine over the next two years, and restrictions on U.S. investments in China.
The law also includes a provision withholding a portion of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until he provides lawmakers with unedited footage of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and copies of the orders behind the operations. Members of both parties have raised concerns in recent weeks with the ongoing military strikes on those alleged drug vessels.
The Senate voted Wednesday to approve the measure, 77-20. The House earlier this month advanced the package in bipartisan fashion, with a 312-112 vote.
Trump and Hegseth have sought to remake the Pentagon during the past 11 months after vowing to rid the department of “woke” elements and return it to the sort of macho image the president desired.
That has included eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War and reinstating a ban on transgender troops serving in the military, among other steps.