This US defense policy bill was passed by Congress last week.
“Today, I signed into law HR 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (the “Act”). The Act authorizes appropriations for the fiscal year primarily for the national security programs of the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of State and intelligence community,” the statement said.
Biden also said the legislation provides critical authorities needed to build the military needed “to deter future conflicts while supporting the service members, their spouses and families who carry out this mission every day.”
“My Administration looks forward to working with Congress to restore the authority of this important national security agency as quickly as possible in the new year. While I am pleased to support the important goals of the NDAA, I note that some provisions of the Act raise concerns,” the American president added.
The amount for assistance to Ukraine is not specified in the White House statement. At the same time, Reuters clarifies that the bill continues one measure of assistance to Kyiv, the initiative to promote the security of Ukraine until the end of 2026, allowing $300 million for the program in a fiscal yearwhich ends on September 30, 2024, and beyond.
The nearly 3,100-page law included a 5.2% pay raise for military personnel and increased the overall national security budget by about 3% to $886 billion. He also lists some Chinese battery companies that he says are not eligible for DoD procurement.
What preceded
Recall that on December 14, the US Senate supported a defense policy bill that allocates a record $886 billion in annual military spending. At the same time, American President Biden’s project to help Ukraine worth $61 billion is expected to be considered separately.
The bill was passed with strong support from both Democrats and Republicans, transcending partisan differences on social issues.
This bill continues one Ukraine assistance measure, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through the end of 2026, allowing $300 million for the program in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, 2024, and the following.
Let us recall that Biden previously asked Congress to approve $61 billion in aid for Ukraine. That emergency spending request has stalled in Congress because Republicans refused to approve aid to Ukraine until Democrats agreed to a major strengthening of immigration enforcement.
On December 14, the corresponding bill was sent to Biden for signature.
2023-12-22 21:27:58
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