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. Senators approved the bill 77–20 on Wednesday, as lawmakers prepared to leave Washington for a holiday recess. It will now go to Trump for signature.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listBut 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 bill reflects a negotiated middle ground, therefore, shaped by rare areas of agreement between Republicans and Democrats on defence priorities. It enacts many of Trump’s executive actions, including proposals to dismantle diversity and inclusion initiatives within the armed forces, but also strengthens congressional scrutiny of the Department of Defense.What objections were there to the bill? …
