The US Senate has finally passed the annual military policy bill, which will allocate $901 billion for defense programs. The document also includes money for Ukraine.
This is reported by the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.
The document was supported by 77 senators, 20 were against.
As the AP notes, the more than 3 000-page legislative proposal has revealed some disagreements between Congress and the Pentagon since the Trump administration decided to shift its focus from security in Europe to Central and South America.
Thus, according to the bill, 25% of Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethʼs travel budget will be withheld until he provides Congress with a video recording of the September 2 operation in the Caribbean Sea, during which 11 people died, and other materials related to the campaign against Latin American drug traffickers.
In addition, the law requires maintaining the number of American troops in Europe at current levels and continuing military assistance to Ukraine.
In particular, the law is expected to overturn some Pentagon decisions and allow Ukraine to receive $400 million over the next two years. The money will go towards the production of weapons for Ukraine.
However, the document does not provide funding for changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. This idea is actively supported by Trump, but it cannot be formalized without Congressional approval.
Instead, it includes some of the “culture war” efforts popular among right-wing politicians in the US. One measure would ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports programs at US military academies.
Now the document must be signed by the US President Donald Trump.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.