Senate sends NDAA to Trump’s desk

I had to admit, I was honestly not sure if the nearly $1 trillion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was going to make it to Trump’s desk, let alone have him sign it.

There are some provisions in there that would really limit Trump on his plans to dial back troop deployments.

However, word on the street is that Trump is going to sign it, additional provisions included.

House Passes the Bill

When this bill was initially introduced, there were some signs that it would have some challenges getting through the House.

For instance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) stated she was a firm “no,” and there were other rumblings, as well as the Democrats pushing back on some of the spending.

Greene then traded her vote to put her legislation protecting children against transgender surgeries on the floor.

When all was said and done, the bill passed easily in true bipartisan fashion, 312-112.

Senate Passes the Bill

When the bill headed to the Senate, there were again some whispers, but that is all they ever proved to be.

The chamber passed the bill 77-20, which truly surprised me because of the additional spending for Ukraine and some of the other measures that I did not think either side would support, but it ended up being mostly posturing.

For instance, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) wanted to add an amendment that would have dialed back some safety standards and replaced them with his ROTOR Act. However, if Cruz did that, it would have had to go back to the House, and they did not want to chance it.

Cruz explained, "I’m seeking a vote on the ROTOR Act as part of any appropriations measure before the current continuing resolution expires at the end of next month.”

Trump Expected to NDAA

Reports broke early Thursday that the legislation was on Trump’s desk and he was expected to sign it, even though it would restrict troop drawdowns in various theaters.

Perhaps Trump was willing to trade off the drawdowns for the $8 billion in additional funding Congress gave Trump than what he had requested.

Among the provisions in the bill are healthy raises for our troops, additional funding for Ukraine, security in Europe, and military aid to a handful of other countries. So, once again, the United States becomes the world’s checkbook.

The big win for Trump is codifying the Golden Dome, so I am sure he is willing to put his name on anything that would codify his legacy defense program. So, once again, the NDAA gets approved, as it has for more than six decades. Add another $1 trillion to the debt sheet.