Biden Signs $858 Billion 2023 NDAA

The president is expected to sign the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill that funds the NDAA this week

President Biden on Friday signed the massive $858 billion 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is $45 billion more than he requested.

Also on Friday, the House passed the $1.7 trillion omnibus bill that includes funding for the NDAA, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk. The mammoth spending bill passed through the House in a vote of 225-201, with only nine Republicans voting in favor.

To avert a government shutdown, Congress also passed a temporary one-week stopgap funding bill, which President Biden signed Friday. The temporary bill gives him until December 30 to sign the omnibus into law, which is expected to happen in the coming days.

The omnibus bill includes about $45 billion in new aid for Ukraine, bringing total US spending on the war to about $112 billion. More spending for Ukraine is packed into the NDAA, including $800 million in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the US government to purchase weapons for Kyiv.

The NDAA grants the Pentagon wartime purchasing powers by the NDAA that will allow it to waive some restrictions for arms purchases on certain weapons, making it easier for Washington to arm Kyiv and other countries that have sent aid to Ukraine.

The NDAA also includes unprecedented military aid for Taiwan by giving the island $2 billion in loans to purchase US-made weapons. China views the new aid as a major provocation and launched massive drills around Taiwan in response to Biden signing the NDAA.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.