The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), rejecting amendments that would have barred funding for Taiwan and Ukraine.
The bill would authorize nearly US$900 billion in military spending and feature a plan to streamline the defense acquisition process.
The vote on the proposal for spending was 231 to 196, similar to last year’s, largely along party lines.
Photo: Bloomberg
All but four Republicans backed the bill and all but 17 Democrats opposed, mostly due to amendments addressing divisive social issues.
The measure includes a 3.8 percent pay raise for soldiers and plans to improve the military’s acquisition system, including by shortening approval timelines and increasing artificial intelligence research.
Democrats and Republicans largely banded together to defeat amendments from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene that would have prohibited funding for Ukraine and eradicated funding for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, the military news Web site Breaking Defense reported.
The Ukraine funding prohibition was shot down in a 60-to-372 vote, while the Taiwan amendment was defeated nine to 422, the report said.
The US Senate is considering its version of the bill, which authorizes US$32 billion more in spending than the House measure.
If that passes, the House and Senate Armed Services committees must reach a compromise that would need to pass both chambers before it can be sent to the White House for US President Donald Trump to sign into law or veto.
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