On Thursday, President Trump enacted the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), setting the stage for future defense spending and priorities at the Pentagon.

This legislation allocates an unprecedented $901 billion for military expenditures for the fiscal year 2026, surpassing the initial request from the Trump administration by approximately $8 billion. Key highlights include a near 4 percent salary boost for service members, $400 million earmarked for Ukraine aid over the next two years, and limitations on American financial engagements with China.

The act also contains a clause that withholds a segment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget. This condition stands until he supplies Congress with unedited recordings of U.S. military actions against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, along with the corresponding operational orders. There has been bipartisan concern regarding these ongoing military activities targeting alleged drug boats.

The Senate approved the legislation with a 77-20 vote on Wednesday, following the House’s earlier bipartisan endorsement, which passed with a 312-112 majority.

Over the last 11 months, Trump and Hegseth have been working to reshape the Pentagon, aiming to eliminate “woke” influences and restore a more traditional, robust image as envisioned by the president.

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.