19th December 2025 – (Washington) U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 into law, a US$901 billion package that, among other provisions, compels the Pentagon to supply Congress with unedited footage of US strikes on alleged drug‑running boats near Venezuela. The law withholds 25% of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until lawmakers receive the original recordings, a response to mounting pressure after it emerged that two survivors clinging to the wreckage of a targeted vessel were killed in a subsequent strike following an initial attack on 2nd September.
Spanning more than 3,000 pages and exceeding the administration’s request by about US$8 billion, the NDAA delivers nearly a 4% pay rise for service members and undertakes reforms aimed at accelerating Pentagon procurement. It funds development of the US “Golden Dome” missile defence system and includes measures to strengthen overall military readiness. The legislation allocates US$400 million annually for two years to produce weapons for Ukraine and imposes conditions on any reduction of US troop levels in Europe and South Korea absent consultations with allies. It further authorises US$26 billion for shipbuilding, US$38 billion for aircraft and US$25 billion to expand munitions production.
The act abolishes Pentagon diversity, equity and inclusion offices, trims US$1.6 billion from climate‑related spending, repeals the 1991 and 2002 Iraq War authorisations, and permanently lifts US sanctions on Syria. The bill cleared the Senate by 77–20 on Wednesday, a week after the House approved it by a 312–112 vote.
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