The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday evening passed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approving a record Pentagon budget of more than $901 billion for annual military spending, along with several other measures, including provisions related to Syria and Iraq.
The House approved the bill in a 312–112 vote. It now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it is expected to pass next week. The $901 billion defense package adds $8 billion to the request President Donald Trump submitted earlier this year.
The legislation provides $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine in each of the next two years and includes other steps aimed at reinforcing the U.S. commitment to European defense.
It also represents a political compromise: it eliminates climate and diversity-related initiatives in line with Trump’s agenda, while strengthening congressional oversight of the Pentagon and repealing several long-standing war authorizations.
The bill includes a provision that put more pressure on the Pentagon to provide Congress with video footage of its strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.
Its inclusion reflects lawmakers’ persistent push for the Trump administration to release more details about the controversial September 2 strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug-running vessel.
Under the provision, a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget would be withheld unless the Pentagon complies with a series of oversight requirements, including providing the House and Senate Armed Services Committees with “video of strikes conducted against terrorist organizations within the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility.”
Other sections of the bill repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq. Supporters in both chambers say the repeal is needed to prevent future abuses and to reaffirm that Iraq is now a strategic U.S. partner.
The 2002 authorization has rarely been used in recent years, but the Trump administration cited it as part of its legal justification for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed senior Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
The legislation also contains a provision to lift sanctions on Syria. Congress is expected to permanently end the sanctions after the Trump administration temporarily suspended many of them.
The sweeping bill—more than 3,000 pages long—includes measures to improve conditions for military personnel, including a 4 percent pay raise and upgrades to housing on military bases.
But the legislation does not expand insurance coverage for military families seeking fertility treatments, including embryo transfers as part of in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
The bill represents a compromise between the House and Senate versions passed earlier this year. Both chambers are controlled by pro-Trump Republicans. Lawmakers from both parties urged support for the measure even if they objected to certain provisions.
The annual NDAA typically enjoys bipartisan backing, and the White House signaled its “strong support” for the bill, saying it aligns with Trump’s national-security agenda.
