US House Passes FY2023 Defense Spending Bill, Authorizing Nearly $850Bln in Funding

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2023, authorizing approximately $850 billion in spending.

Lawmakers on Thursday passed the legislation in a 329-101 vote, with opposition coming from 63 Republican and 39 Democratic members.

The 2023 NDAA provides roughly $850 billion in defense spending for the US government, adding $37 billion to President Joe Biden’s initial request for about $813 billion.

The bill faced opposition from the House Freedom Caucus because it does not address COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the military and purportedly prioritizes progressive ideology over combat readiness, according to a statement released Wednesday.

The House added amendments to the NDAA including one to allow the use of psychedelic drugs to treat service members, one to require US flags bought by the military to be made in America, and one to establish an unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) reporting system.

Lawmakers also added amendments to restrict the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey without assurance they would not be used for overflights of Greece, and give $100 million in assistance to Ukrainian pilots.

The Senate will need to pass their own version of the legislation and reconcile it with the House’s before a finalized bill could be sent to Biden.