US Congress approves defense spending for 2026: $400 million to be allocated to Ukraine
The US House of Representatives US Congress has passed a $892.6 billion defense bill. It provides for increased military readiness and higher salaries for US military personnel, while introducing a number of new restrictions, including a ban on gender-affirming treatment for military personnel.
This was reported by The New York Times, according to Censor.NET.
"The 231-to-196 vote, mostly along party lines, reflected how Republicans in Congress have transformed the annual Pentagon policy measure, once an overwhelmingly popular bill, into a vehicle for conservative social policy dictates," the authors note.
It is noted that for the third year in a row, Republicans are adding new restrictions to block initiatives on diversity, equality, and inclusivity, as well as a number of climate restrictions, while increasing the flow of decommissioned military weapons to the civilian firearms program, which has alienated even Democrats who initially supported it.
The stated goal of the bill was to streamline and modernize how the Pentagon identifies and meets military needs, including through research, budgeting, contracting, manufacturing, and delivery. Republicans and Democrats in Congress criticized the process, which also angered defense industry players.
Both Republicans and Democrats praised the measures included in the bill, which will improve the Pentagon's ability to carry out defense missions and strengthen the army. However, part of the debate was dominated by arguments over several conservative restrictions on social policy that were introduced by Republicans during the vote.
Some of these were directed against transgender service members and their families, in line with the Trump administration's efforts to remove transgender service members from the army.
Despite Republican opposition to providing military aid to Ukraine, the bill allocates $400 million to the Pentagon's initiative to assist Ukraine in the security sector. The House of Representatives rejected Marjorie Taylor Greene's proposal to cut funding for Ukraine, with both Republicans and Democrats voting against it.
Lawmakers also added a requirement that the Pentagon report to Congress if the administration plans to cancel or suspend military aid to Ukraine approved by Congress.
