Trump Approves Historic NDAA Defense Bill: Unprecedented Military Budget Boosts National Security

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On Thursday, President Trump enacted the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), setting the stage for defense spending and key priorities in the coming year.

This legislation authorizes an unprecedented $901 billion for military expenditures in fiscal year 2026, surpassing the Trump administration’s original request by approximately $8 billion. The act ensures a nearly 4 percent pay raise for military personnel, allocates $400 million in aid to Ukraine over the next two years, and imposes restrictions on U.S. investments in China.

Additionally, the law stipulates that a portion of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget will be withheld until he provides lawmakers with unaltered footage of U.S. military operations targeting alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, along with the relevant operational orders. This comes amid bipartisan concerns over these ongoing military actions.

The Senate passed the legislation on Wednesday with a 77-20 vote, following the House’s earlier bipartisan approval of the package, which saw 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.