US Senate approves annual ailitary apending aill

The Democratic-majority US Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act 86-11 on Thursday, setting up a confrontation later this year with the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives over competing priorities in the massive annual military spending bill, Report informs, citing foreign media.

The $886 billion legislation contains several key provisions, including limits on American investments and technologies in Chinese business sectors such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors; a 5.2% pay raise for military servicemembers; and $300 million in U.S. assistance to Ukraine to combat Russian aggression.

The Republican-majority House narrowly passed its own version of the NDAA earlier this month, 219-210. The legislation contains several conservative priorities, including banning funding for US servicemembers seeking out-of-state abortions and cutting health care funding for transgender members of the military.

The legislation will now have to go through a reconciliation process with both chambers agreeing to a new version of the NDAA that will then be signed into law by President Joe Biden. Both chambers are now out of session until mid-September.