In a last-minute rush to sanction spending before the end of the year, the Senate enacted a $886 billion defense spending proposal Wednesday, sponsored by President Joe Biden, that includes financing for Ukraine, yearly pay hikes for personnel, and most controversially, a reauthorization of the the National Defense Authorization Act.
"At a time of huge trouble for global security, doing the defense authorization bill is more important than ever," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Wednesday.
"Passing the NDAA enables us to hold the line against Russia, stand firm against the Chinese Communist Party and ensure America's defense remain state of the art at all times."
The NDAA approved by the Senate is a compromise version of the budget package passed by the House earlier this year.
Sen. Mike Lee was one of just thirteen senators that rejected the NDAA. "The Senate just voted to waive the point of order against the NDAA," Lee said prior to the bill's passage.
The NDAA included a provision to prolong Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until mid-April, avoiding its expiration at the end of the year as Congress debates four rival measures to renew and alter the legislation.
Section 702 theoretically only permits the government to eavesdrop on foreigners in other countries, but whistleblowers have pointed out how the NDAA provision still allows for backdoor searches of Americans' information if they converse with a target.
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