CaliToday (16/12/2025): The U.S. Senate on Monday, December 15, 2025, overcame a key procedural obstacle, moving significantly closer to passing the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This annual, must-pass legislation greenlights the budget for the Department of Defense (colloquially referred to by some as the "War Department" in historical context) and crucial defense programs.
The measure cleared the procedural hurdle with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 76-20, paving the way for a final vote later this week and allowing Senators to debate and introduce numerous amendments in the coming days.
A $901 Billion Mandate for Military Strength
The massive defense bill is valued at approximately $901 billion, a figure that reflects broad congressional consensus on the need to fortify U.S. military power amid geopolitical instability. This amount is roughly $8 billion higher than the figure originally requested by President Trump, signaling Congress's intent to aggressively fund defense priorities.
Given that the NDAA does not face an immediate government funding deadline, the Senate prioritized its review. However, Congress remains besieged by several other major legislative loose ends before the year-end recess, including reauthorizing Obamacare subsidies, confirming nearly one hundred Trump nominees, and hammering out a multifaceted spending package to avert a government shutdown in late January.
Decades-Old War Powers Repealed
Spanning over three thousand pages, the bill contains a multitude of far-reaching provisions. Among the most historically significant is a proposal to repeal the decades-old Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) passed in 1991 and 2002 for the Gulf War and the Iraq War, respectively. This rare moment of bipartisan agreement aims to formally end military authorizations that many lawmakers believe are obsolete and subject to executive misuse.
Other critical policy areas addressed in the NDAA include:
Ukraine Policy: New provisions governing sustained aid and strategic commitments to Kyiv.
Sanctions Adjustments: Revisions to existing sanctions regimes aimed at adversarial nations.
Caribbean Operations: Continued authorization for drug interdiction operations.
Transparency and Airspace Concerns
Two specific, highly contentious provisions have dominated debate:
1. Air Strike Transparency
A clause requires the Department of Defense to provide Congress with all unedited imagery related to counter-drug air strikes conducted during the Trump administration. This measure stems from widespread congressional concern over operational transparency, particularly following a contentious dual air strike incident on September 2, which prompted many lawmakers to demand full access to operation details.
2. Washington Airspace Safety
The bill also sparked fierce opposition over a provision that proposes to relax certain safety standards within the restricted Washington airspace. This measure was introduced following the recent collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a civilian aircraft near Ronald Reagan National Airport. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell have lodged strong objections, arguing the clause was slipped into the bill without proper vetting. They have introduced an amendment aimed at preserving the strict aviation safety measures enacted following the earlier accident.
The final days of debate promise to be intense as Senators leverage the must-pass nature of the NDAA to attach their own policy priorities.