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