Senate passes $900B Pentagon funding bill, sends to Trump

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate passed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act in a 77-20 vote Wednesday, sending the roughly $901 billion bill to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. “This year's NDAA ushers in the most significant acquisition reform in decades and helps the U.S. deter increasingly hostile nations,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said. “The American people voted for peace through strength, and this NDAA delivers.” Among other provisions, the mammoth NDAA authorizes $38 billion for aircraft, $34 billion for nuclear defense, $26 billion for shipbuilding, $25 billion for munitions and $900 million to combat drug trafficking. Military members will receive a 3.8% pay raise, and $1.4 billion is set aside for the construction of barracks and family housing. Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are allocated for new childcare centers and schools, and $577 million will go toward renovating military hospitals and building