The House on Wednesday passed a $900.6 billion defense policy bill for fiscal 2026, authorizing discretionary spending for the Pentagon and advancing several oversight measures. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in a 312-112 vote and now heads to the Senate for final approval.
The bill requires Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to submit unedited video of specific airstrikes targeting alleged drug smuggling vessels from Venezuela. Lawmakers have raised concerns about the legality of the strikes, including one in which a second strike reportedly killed two survivors about 45 minutes after the initial attack. The Pentagon has released footage of other strikes but has not made public the video of this specific incident.
To compel compliance, the bill would withhold 25% of Hegseth’s travel budget until he provides unedited footage of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations within the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. Lawmakers who have viewed the unreleased video remain divided; some Republicans said the second strike appeared warranted, while Democratic lawmakers called the footage disturbing and called for further scrutiny.
The NDAA also requires Hegseth to submit copies of all directives authorizing the strikes and to provide a report on how the Pentagon is applying lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, a report already mandated in the previous year’s NDAA.
President Donald Trump has expressed support for the bill, S.1071, and said he will sign it. The White House praised its inclusion of more than a dozen executive orders, including the Golden Dome for America missile defense initiative.
The legislation would also repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, which have underpinned decades of U.S. military operations in the Middle East. The administration said doing so aligns with Trump’s stated goal of ending ongoing military engagements.
The NDAA would authorize multi-year procurement contracts for key munitions, which the administration said could reduce costs and help defense contractors expand production capabilities through long-term commitments.
