The US House of Representatives backed legislation on Thursday paving the way for the defense budget to hit a record 858 billion dollars next year, 45 billion dollars more than proposed by President Joe Biden.
The House passed the compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual must-pass bill setting policy for the Pentagon, by 350-80, far exceeding the two-thirds majority required to pass the legislation and send it for a vote in the Senate.
The fiscal 2023 NDAA authorizes 858 billion dollars in military spending and includes a 4.6% pay increase for the troops, funding for purchases of weapons, ships and aircraft; and support for Taiwan as it faces aggression from China and Ukraine as it fights an invasion by Russia.
“This bill is Congress exercising its authority to authorize and do oversight,” said Representative Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in a speech urging support for the measure.
Because it is one of the few major bills passed every year, members of Congress use the NDAA as a vehicle for a range of initiatives, some unrelated to defense.
