Senate Passes 2020 Defense Authorization Bill

The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 with a bipartisan vote of 86 to 8.

The bill supports $750 billion for national defense programs, including those at the departments of Defense and Energy. It also gives 2.15 million uniformed service members a 3.1% pay spike, which is the largest bump in a decade.

Other highlights of the legislation include standing up the U.S. Space Force under the Air Force; upgrading U.S. military technology and capabilities; and advancing the Pentagon’s cybersecurity strategy and addressing U.S. cyber warfighting capabilities.

The NDAA “is the most important bill we’ll consider all year,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.

“Congress has passed this critical legislation for 58 years running, and now, we’re one step closer to doing it for a 59th year,” he said in a release. “Today’s strong bipartisan vote shows our commitment to our constitutional responsibility to provide for the common defense. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House of Representatives to find a bipartisan, bicameral agreement during conference to meet the security needs of a nation increasingly at risk.”