The bill is scheduled for a vote in the coming days (Photo: Getty Images)
On Sunday, December 7, US lawmakers unveiled the final text of the defense policy bill, which includes record funding for national security as well as aid for Ukraine, according to Reuters, Fox News, and AOL.
Media reports state that the bill allocates $901 billion for military spen…
The bill is scheduled for a vote in the coming days (Photo: Getty Images)
On Sunday, December 7, US lawmakers unveiled the final text of the defense policy bill, which includes record funding for national security as well as aid for Ukraine, according to Reuters, Fox News, and AOL.
Media reports state that the bill allocates $901 billion for military spending for fiscal year 2026-$8 billion more than what President Donald Trump requested in May of this year.
The legislation also assists Ukraine.
“The legislation reauthorizes the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative at $400 million per year for fiscal years 2026 and 2027,” Fox News reports.
Additionally, the US Congress will require more frequent reporting on allied contributions to Ukraine to track how European partners support Kyiv.
Several media outlets also note that the legislation obliges the Pentagon chief to report to the House of Representatives and the Senate on any suspension or cessation of intelligence support to Ukraine.
According to Republican leadership aides, the House of Representatives is set to vote on the bill in the coming days.
“This legislation includes important House-passed provisions to ensure our military forces remain the most lethal in the world and can deter any adversary,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
He added that the legislation will advance Trump’s agenda by ending woke ideology in the Pentagon, securing our borders, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring military ethics.
What else is known about the Pentagon bill
The massive 3,000-page document includes a 4% pay raise for military personnel but does not include bipartisan efforts to incentivize housing construction, which some lawmakers had sought to add to the final version.
In addition to standard provisions on military equipment procurement and maintaining competitiveness with countries like China and Russia, the bill focuses on cutting programs criticized by Trump, including initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The legislation also repeals the 1991 and 2002 AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) laws, which authorized the US to expel Saddam Hussein from Kuwait and sanctioned the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Lawmakers from both parties have long pushed to revoke these authorizations, arguing that they are no longer necessary following the overthrow of Hussein’s regime.
US reduces aid to Ukraine
Since Donald Trump’s return to power, the US has cut its direct assistance to Ukraine.
In the military sphere, NATO and the US established the PURL mechanism, through which European countries now fund and purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
Recently, Trump again boasted thatthe US no longer spends money on aid to Ukraine, emphasizing that NATO now pays for this weapons support and that Washington receives reimbursement from the alliance.