$880 billion NDAA is now law
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he signed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, authorizing national defense spending and policies.
The document envisages the allocation of more than 880 billion dollars for relevant programmes of the defence and energy ministries, the State Department and intelligence services, such as:
- 4.6 percent pay raise for military and civilian members of the Pentagon
- $30.3 billion for national security programs in the Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
- $378 million for other defense-related activities.
“The Act provides the critical authorities we need to build the military required to deter future conflicts, while supporting service members and their spouses and families who carry out that mission every day,” Biden said in the statement.
The defence budget has set aside $800 million for assistance to Ukraine, while the White House has requested most of the spending for this purpose in a separate document that is under consideration in Congress.
The programme of assistance to Ukraine includes $300m under the Security Assistance Initiative. Under this programme, the US Department of Defence contracts with manufacturers, rather than providing Ukraine with equipment directly from the Pentagon’s stockpile.
The President also criticised provisions that would require him and other officials to submit reports to congressional committees with classified information, including information that could reveal intelligence sources or military operational plans.
The US House of Representatives approved the draft on 14 December while the Senate approved it on 13 December.
Lawmakers passed the legislation despite concerns about an extension of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702 authorities, which Biden thanked the Congress for including in his statement.
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