Senate passes mammoth annual defense policy bill
by Ellen Mitchell and Regina Zilbermints - 10/09/25 9:46 PM ETThe Senate late Thursday approved its massive annual defense policy bill as the U.S. government remains shut down.
The GOP-led chamber approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 70-20, which funds the U.S. military at $924.7 billion in fiscal year 2026. The vote came after lawmakers reached a deal earlier in the day to unlock the stalled legislation.
The bill’s passage allows the House and Senate armed services committees to begin the sometimes arduous conference process, during which lawmakers hammer out a compromise between each chambers’ version of the legislation. The House version of the NDAA, passed last month, has a much lower topline at nearly $893 billion.
The NDAA had come to the Senate floor in early September but saw little movement until Thursday morning. Action on the bill was stalled as all 100 senators must agree to hold votes on amendments, with several sticking points causing a handful of lawmakers to halt the process.
But Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) secured an agreement to vote on 17 stand-alone amendments and a package of nearly 50 less controversial amendments.
“We simply cannot delay this process any longer,” Wicker said on the Senate floor. “Let me make it clear, if we do not bring this to the floor today, this matter will not have time for deliberation on the Senate floor, and we’ll have to basically pretend that we’re having a conference between House and Senate members, and a very small group of senators will have to write this bill and bring it to the floor for final passage. That’s not the way this ought to be done.”
Votes were held throughout Thursday evening, during which senators blew through over a dozen partisan amendments and the 50 add-ons before moving the bill.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5548582-senate-passes-defense-bill/
