On December 24, the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, signed the defense budget of the country in the amount of 895 billion dollars. About this it is said on the White House website.
The National Defense Appropriations Act (NDAA) was passed after lengthy negotiations with bipartisan support in both houses of Congress. During the discussions, the most controversial points were removed from the final document, including those related to abortion policy and measures to promote diversity and inclusion in the armed forces.
Meanwhile, a provision initiated by House Speaker Mike Johnson that bars Tricare from funding treatment for gender dysphoria remains in the law. This provision drew criticism from Biden, which he stated publicly.
The new law calls for $850 billion in the Defense Department’s base budget and another $33.5 billion for nuclear-related programs under the Department of Energy.
In addition, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved $25 billion in additional funding to develop missile defense, shipbuilding and anti-unmanned systems technologies. At the same time, the approved version of the law does not provide for the possibility of lendlease for Ukraine.
