FIRST DRAFT OF SENATE NDAA: The Senate Armed Services Committee, on a strong, bipartisan 23-3 vote, has sent to the full Senate its version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that sets policy for the Department of Defense.
The bill calls for $857.6 billion in defense spending, a $45 billion plus-up, over the budget requested by the Biden administration, largely to cover the effects of inflation, to address the need to replace munitions sent to Ukraine, and provide additional resources for the unfunded priorities of U.S. combatant commanders.