What to know about the massive defense bill that seeks release of boat strike videos and more
Dec 9, 2025, 10:19 AM
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens during an event at the State Department, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to vote this week on a bill authorizing $900 billion for military programs, including boosting pay for service members, cutting Pentagon diversity efforts and requiring footage to be released of forces blowing up alleged drug boats.
The National Defense Authorization Act is traditionally a strong bipartisan bill that lays out the nation’s defense policies. But it’s coming up for a vote as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces mounting scrutiny over the boat strikes off Venezuela’s coast.
Lawmakers’ concerns are apparent in the compromise bill released Sunday by the House Armed Services Committee. While it incorporates many of President Donald Trump’s executive orders, the defense bill demands more accountability over the administration’s campaign against Latin American drug cartels. It also reasserts a U.S. commitment to Europe following intense criticism of allies in Trump’s recently released national security strategy.
The House could vote as early as Wednesday on this year’s NDAA. Here are key things to know about the bill:
Lawmakers are demanding the Pentagon hand over unedited video of strikes against drug cartels, threatening to withhold a quarter of Hegseth’s travel budget if it doesn’t.
The congressional committees overseeing the military have been pressing the Pentagon for more answers on a Sept. 2 strike following reports that U.S. forces fired on two survivors clinging to wreckage after their alleged drug-smuggling boat was attacked.
The legislation also requires the Pentagon to provide the orders behind each attack. Legal experts and some Democrats say the Sept. 2 follow-up strike violated the laws of war, despite the Trump administration’s assertions that the U.S. is in an armed conflict with drug cartels.
The legislation authorizes $400 million for each of the next two years to manufacture weapons to be sent to Ukraine.
The money represents only a small part of Kyiv’s overall needs for its fight against Russia, but it is still a show of support from Congress at a time when Trump’s backing for Ukraine has been in doubt.
The bill also requires the Pentagon to provide intelligence support for Ukraine, which the Trump administration had paused for several weeks earlier this year.
Congress is trying to reaffirm its commitment to European allies and NATO — a notable stance given the posture of the Trump administration.
One provision in the defense authorization bill requires the Pentagon to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment stationed in Europe unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.
Around 80,000 to 100,000 U.S. troops are usually present on European soil. NATO allies have expressed concern that the Trump administration might drastically cut their numbers and leave a security vacuum as European countries confront an increasingly aggressive Russia.
The Army said in late October that the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will return to its base in Kentucky as previously planned but that no other U.S. troops would rotate into Europe to replace it.
The Trump administration says it’s been reviewing its military posture in Europe and elsewhere. In a speech Saturday, Hegseth criticized previous U.S. policies that “turned American allies into dependents.”
The defense bill also contains a provision to keep U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, setting the minimum requirement at 28,500.
The bill is notable for lacking a provision to expand coverage of in vitro fertilization for active duty personnel. An the medical procedure, known as IVF, which helps people facing infertility to build their families.
Rep. Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat, said Sunday that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson removed her provision in the bill for military health insurance to cover IVF for American troops.
“It’s an unbelievably selfish and callous move against people who’ve served and sacrificed so much for us, especially when he and his own staff have access to health care plans that provide IVF coverage,” Jacobs said in a news release.
Johnson’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment. He praised the NDAA in a statement for delivering on “Trump’s promise of peace through strength,” while noting that it provides a nearly 4% raise for service members.
The legislation also would put an official end to the war in Iraq by repealing the authorization for the 2003 invasion.
Supporters in both the House and Senate say the repeal is crucial to prevent future abuses and to reinforce that Iraq is now a strategic partner of the U.S. Both chambers voted earlier this year to include an amendment in the 2026 defense bill revoking the 2002 war resolution.
The 2002 resolution has been rarely used in recent years. But the first Trump administration cited it as part of its legal justification for a 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani.
Congress would permanently remove the harshest U.S. sanctions left on Syria after the Trump administration has lifted many penalties.
Congress had imposed economically crippling sanctions on the country in 2019 to punish former leader Bashar Assad for human rights abuses during the nearly 14-year civil war. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is seeking to rebuild his nation’s economy after he led a successful insurgency that deposed Assad a year ago.
While the Trump administration had issued temporary waivers on the sanctions known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, they can only be permanently repealed by a vote in Congress.
Advocates of a permanent repeal have said international companies are unlikely to invest in projects needed for the country’s reconstruction as long as there is a threat of sanctions returning.
The bill makes $1.6 billion in cuts to climate change-related spending, the House Armed Services Committee said. The panel does not outline what would be eliminated, but the military has previously invested in hybrid electric ships and plans for adapting to a changing climate.
U.S. military assessments have long found that climate change is a threat to national security, with bases being pummeled by hurricanes or routinely flooded.
The bill also would save $40 million by repealing diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and trainings, the committee said. For example, the position of chief diversity officer would be cut.
The Trump administration has ordered climate and DEI programs cut across the federal government.
