US: Record $858 billion military spending bill passes Senate

The United States Senate passed a bill on Thursday authorizing a record $858 billion (€806 billion) in military spending next year.

The National Defense Authorization Act will now go to President Joe Biden to be signed.

The record bill provides around $45 billion more for defense programs than Biden had requested.

"We need to prioritize defense. It's as simple as that," said Republican Jim Inhofe, who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The United States currently spends more on defense than twice as much as the other 29 members of the NATO military alliance combined. Germany passed a defense budget of €50.4 billion as well as a €100 billion special fund to modernize its military.

What will the money be spent on?

The funds will be put towards weapons, ships and aircraft, as well as a 4.6% pay increase for troops.

That includes Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets and ships made by General Dynamics.

Amid rising tensions with China, the bill has allocated billions in defense support for Taiwan as well as fast-tracked weapons procurement for the Asian country.

It also allocates $800 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine in 2023 as Russia's invasion drags on.

Vaccine mandate to be rolled back

The bill passed with bipartisan support in the Senate and the House.

To garner Republican backing, the Democrats agreed to rescind a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for active service members.

The Pentagon said around 8,000 personnel had been discharged because they refused to get vaccinated.

The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the few bills that pass every year. Because of this, lawmakers often use it to push a range of initiatives.

zc/sms (AP, Reuters, AFP)