Senate OKs Massive Defense Bill, Sends to Trump’s Desk
The Senate on Wednesday sent a major defense package to President Donald Trump, closing out one of the final and most consequential legislative priorities of the year. Lawmakers approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a sweeping $901 billion bill that funds the military and advances several of the Trump administration’s core national defense objectives.
The measure passed the upper chamber with strong bipartisan support by a 77–20 vote. While the NDAA is traditionally an annual, must-pass bill that moves with relatively little drama, this year’s process proved more turbulent — particularly in the House, where disputes over key provisions briefly threatened its passage.
Although the Senate debate was comparatively smooth, several unresolved issues drew scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Chief among them was a provision that would have relaxed certain airspace safety standards over Washington, D.C., a sensitive topic following a deadly collision earlier this year between a Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, moved to strip that provision from the bill and instead proposed incorporating his ROTOR Act, which would mandate the use of enhanced aviation technology to improve air traffic awareness, Fox News reported.
Ultimately, amending the NDAA would have required the legislation to return to the House, risking further delays. Cruz instead opted to pursue his proposal through future spending measures.
“I’m seeking a vote on the ROTOR Act as part of any appropriations measure before the current continuing resolution expires at the end of next month,” Cruz said.
Other provisions in the bill also drew attention but failed to derail its final passage.
“Other provisions, like a requirement for the Pentagon to release the unedited footage of boat strikes in the Caribbean in exchange for fully funding the Department of War’s travel fund, raised eyebrows but didn’t slow down the package’s success,” Fox reported.
“That provision comes as lawmakers demand more transparency in the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug boats, and in particular, as they seek the release of the footage from a Sept. 2 double-strike on a vessel,” the report added.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed all U.S. senators this week on the strikes. Following the classified briefing, Republican senators largely expressed satisfaction with the administration’s explanations, while Democrats voiced complaints over access to unedited footage.
“He refused,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., complained. “The administration came to this briefing empty-handed. That’s the major question that we face, and if they can’t be transparent on this, how can you trust their transparency on all the other issues swirling about in the Caribbean.”
Much of the disputed footage is believed to be classified, making its release in an open briefing highly unlikely.
Beyond the controversies, the NDAA includes several provisions that enjoyed bipartisan backing, including continued assistance for Ukraine and the repeal of the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force tied to the Gulf War and the Iraq War.
With the defense bill now headed to President Trump’s desk, the Senate still faces a packed agenda before adjourning for the new year. Senate Republicans are pushing to confirm nearly 100 of President Trump’s nominees before the session ends, while lawmakers from both parties continue negotiating a five-bill spending package ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
“This defense authorization act, although it doesn’t have as much in there for defense as a lot of us would like, is a step in the right direction,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. “And I think the defense appropriations bill, which hopefully we’ll vote on later this week, is another example of the investment that we need to be making, to ensure that in a dangerous world, we are prepared to defend America and American interests.”