A supermajority of the Senate has passed a nearly $1 trillion spending bill for the military, even as the bitter government shutdown continues with no end in sight.
As reported by The Hill, the Senate voted 70-20 to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), setting aside $924.7 billion for the armed services in fiscal year 2026.
The next step is for the House and Senate armed services committees to negotiate a compromise bill that both chambers of Congress accept.
The NDAA had been in limbo on the Senate floor for nearly a month, but the impasse broke Thursday as lawmakers finally agreed to debate a series of amendments.
"We simply cannot delay this process any longer,” Senate Armed Services chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) said on the Senate floor. “Let me make it clear: If we do not bring this to the floor today, this matter will not have time for deliberation on the Senate floor, and we’ll have to basically pretend that we’re having a conference between House and Senate members, and a very small group of senators will have to write this bill and bring it to the floor for final passage. That’s not the way this ought to be done.”
While the final vote tally was bipartisan, the amendment process reflected some sharp disagreements over the military's role.
Democrat senators used the "vote-a-rama" to target Trump's National Guard deployments to cities run by soft-on-crime Democrats. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who received attention as an advocate for alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia earlier this year, issued a proposal to stop Trump from deploying the National Guard without the consent of a state's governor, but the amendment failed.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proposed an amendment, which was also rejected, to stop a donated Qatari jet from being retrofitted to replace Air Force One.
“Retrofitting this foreign-owned luxury jet to make it fully operational will cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. That’s money that shouldn’t be wasted,” Schumer said.
The senators also agreed to repeal the authorizations of force for the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, approving an amendment from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).
A bipartisan amendment to help protect military bases from drones also passed. The amendment was proposed by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
The troops are facing lost paychecks without a deal to end the government shutdown before Oct. 15. Senate Democrats, led by Schumer, have repeatedly rejected bills to fund the government without Obamacare-related add-ons.
“The executive branch, the president, is working on ways that he may have, as well, to ensure the troops are paid,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) at a press conference.
The White House confirmed Friday that federal layoffs have begun, as the administration tries to pressure Democrats to end the shutdown.
