US Senate passes defence policy bill with 5.2% pay raise for troops, biggest boost in 20 years

House Approves, $866 Billion , Military Spending Bill. On December 14, over two-thirds of the United States House of Representatives voted for a defense policy bill that is now headed to the White House to be signed into law. NBC reports that the bill includes a record $866 billion in annual military spending and policies to extend aid for Ukraine. . The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by a House vote of 310 in support and 118 against. . The NDAA includes a wide range of funding, including pay raises for troops and the purchase of new ships, aircraft and munitions. The 2024 NDAA also includes a four-month extension for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which grants authority for domestic surveillance. On December 13, the Senate rejected an attempt to have the FISA extension removed from the NDAA before approving the defense funding bill. The NDAA also includes an extension for the Ukraine Assistance Initiative (UAI), funding it through the end of 2026 and granting the program $300 million for both 2024 and 2025. . NBC reports that the extension for the UAI program is a fraction of the $61 billion requested by the Biden administration for helping Kyiv push back against Russia. That spending request has been bogged down in Congress, where Republicans have looked to leverage funding for Ukraine for tighter immigration policies. That spending request has been bogged down in Congress, where Republicans have looked to leverage funding for Ukraine for tighter immigration policies. On December 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. lawmakers to argue for congressional support for the larger funding request. . On December 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. lawmakers to argue for congressional support for the larger funding request.