Congress Eyes Passage of National Defense Authorization Act
The U.S. House has advanced a compromise version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approving the massive defense policy bill on a 312-112 vote and sending it to the Senate for final action.
The measure authorizes roughly $900 billion in annual military spending and sets policy direction for the Pentagon. Senate leaders are expected to take it up soon, with plans pointing to a vote as early as the week of Dec. If it clears the Senate, it would head to President Donald Trump, who has signaled support.
For trucking and freight, the NDAA matters because defense policy and spending influence manufacturing demand, military logistics activity, and the broader industrial base that moves by truck. While the bill is not a transportation package, it is one of Congress’ biggest annual spending and policy vehicles, and it often has downstream effects across supply chains.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) helped push the bill forward after winning over several holdouts during a high-stakes vote. The NDAA traditionally draws bipartisan support, and the White House has described “strong support” for the must-pass legislation, saying it aligns with the administration’s national security agenda.
At the same time, the vote comes amid friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump administration over military management and oversight. Some of the provisions lawmakers added reflect that tug-of-war.
- Pentagon oversight on strike footage: The agreement would withhold one-quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon provides Congress with unedited videos of airstrikes against alleged drug smuggling boats.
- Briefings on UAP intercepts: The conferenced bill would require the Pentagon to brief lawmakers on operations since 2004 involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) intercepts conducted by integrated military commands that share leadership and a focus on defending North America.
- Limits and repeals tied to war authorities: Lawmakers included language described by supporters as restricting a president’s ability to direct military strikes without congressional authorization and repealing older Middle East war-authority laws, including the 1991 and 2002 authorizations.
The NDAA is separate from the full-year funding measure that appropriators negotiate to actually fund day-to-day Pentagon operations. Still, it is considered must-pass because it sets defense policy and has become a yearly marker for congressional oversight of the military.
With the House vote complete, attention turns to the Senate, where leaders have said they plan to move the compromise bill toward final passage before sending it to the president.