The White House confirmed plans to rename the Department of Defense. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Instead, the measure focuses on military contracting reforms and lasers in on the Pentagon’s failure to complete, let alone pass, an audit for the last several years. It also includes a bump to service members’ pay, though not as high as in recent years. It also includes an extension to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2028, and increases authorized funding to $500 million.
Still, the measure would authorize about 3% more funding for the Pentagon when compared to last year’s NDAA in the midst of the GOP and White House’s push to cut costs in the government.
It also comes on the heels of a $150 billion injection of defense spending passed in President Donald Trump’s "big, beautiful bill."
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Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., speaks to the press on Jan. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
"This legislation invests in the service members, technology, and capabilities we need to deter our adversaries and defend our national interests," the Rhode Island Democrat said. "I thank Chairman Wicker and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for advancing this bill to prioritize the safety and security of the American people."
The Senate and House have offered competing versions of the bill, too. Lawmakers in the upper chamber leapfrogged their colleagues in the House, where their iteration of the NDAA is expected to be considered next week.
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Overall, the Senate’s version of the legislation would tee up nearly $925 billion in defense spending. That total is split among the Department of Defense at over $878 billion, the Department of Energy at over $35 billion with another $10 billion allocated for "defense-related activities" outside of the bill’s jurisdiction.
The House version of the bill clocked in at just over $848 billion, well below the Senate’s product but more in line with the Pentagon’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-advances-defense-bill-boosting-service-member-pay-pentagon-reforms