Senate advances annual defense policy bill
Source: The Hill
12/15/25 6:24 PM ET
The Senate on Monday cleared a key procedural hurdle as it looks to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) before lawmakers leave town for the holidays at the end of the week. Senators voted 76-20 to put the annual defense policy bill a step closer to final passage, which will still take several more days.
The chamber previously voted to move ahead on the package on Thursday following final passage in the House. The yearly bipartisan package checks in at $900 billion — $8 billion more than the total requested by President Trump. It includes a pay bump for service members, a restriction on U.S. investment in China and military aid to Ukraine, among other things.
The push to pass it in the Senate is expected to be relatively easy compared with the number of snags it hit in the House. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last week was forced to placate several conservatives in his conference in order to win their support for a procedural vote. Final passage went smoothly, though, with the lower chamber voting 312-112 to send it across the Capitol.
That doesn’t mean this week won’t have bumps in the road. Chief among them is an effort by lawmakers to include updated language concerning the restriction of military aircraft travel to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5650254-senate-ndaa-national-defense-authorization-act/