Senate Advances Defense Funding Amid Ongoing Government Shutdown
The Senate made progress on Thursday with a significant policy bill to fund the Pentagon, even as the federal government remains shut down. The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which faced delays for over a month, passed with bipartisan support and proposes around $925 billion for defense expenditures.
Despite the government entering its ninth day of shutdown—without a clear resolution—the bill successfully moved forward following a vote on amendments. However, Senators won’t reconvene until next Tuesday, meaning military personnel will miss pay for the coming week.
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Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) announced the bill’s advancement on the Senate floor, following indications from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-Miss.) of a potential vote. He highlighted that the NDAA had previously garnered overwhelming support in committee despite the current partisanship.
“We managed to pass the National Defense Authorization Act with a vote of 26 to 1 during a time when securing a 60-vote majority to keep the government running appears rather challenging,” Wicker stated.
Progress on the bill was facilitated after Senator Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., lifted his hold on it. Gallego had sought a vote on an amendment to deny military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, who died during the events of January 6, 2021. The Air Force had previously extended an offer for her military funeral in August.
Senate Republicans Confirm Over 100 Trump Nominees, Shutdown Continues
As senators moved forward, they introduced a lengthy list of over a dozen partisan amendments plus around 50 additional bills prior to passing the NDAA. The House had already passed its own version of the bill last month.
Among the proposed amendments that did not pass was one from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York intended to block funding for Boeing 747 upgrades facilitated by the Qatari government earlier this year for former President Trump.
Additionally, Senator Chris Van Hollen’s proposal would have restricted both President Trump and governors from deploying the Interstate Guard if opposed by state or local officials. Another amendment put forth by Senator Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, aimed at repealing the 2002 Iraq Military Use Authorization that allowed former President George W. Bush to use military force following the September 11 attacks. It also intended to eliminate a similar resolution from 1991 related to the Gulf War; the House version includes this repeal as well.
Democratic Dissatisfaction Over Republican Priorities
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) had previously threatened to block the vote on the NDAA to demand hearings concerning what she termed a severe misuse of military resources after President Trump deployed the National Guard in Chicago and other cities. However, she retracted her threat when Wicker assured that discussions would take place over the next few weeks.
Duckworth expressed, “I look forward to rigorously questioning the Trump administration regarding the unconstitutional deployment of the National Guard in urban areas against the will of state and local officials,” in a statement.
