WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed the annual defense policy bill into law Thursday, authorizing $900 billion for the Pentagon.
The bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act, led in part by House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers, authorizes funding for military programs and nearly $200 million for Alabama’s military installations. The topline is $8 billion more than what Trump requested for the Department of Defense.
Before the signing, Rogers quipped to Alabama Daily News he would be the one next to Trump with a “big smile” on his face, after getting the legislation to the president’s desk before the end of the year. Trump signed the legislation with little fanfare as the press was not invited to attend the signing.
“Getting the NDAA done for the 65th consecutive year, and it never gets easier,” Rogers, R-Saks, told ADN. “It’s been a big year.”
The defense bill passed the Senate on Wednesday with broad support by a vote of 77-20. U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt both supported it. It passed the House last week, with all of Alabama’s members voting for it.
“We were able to secure a pay raise for all of our brave service men and women and to make some key improvements to military housing, much needed,” Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters on a call.
The NDAA includes a 3.8% pay raise for troops. It also includes conservative priorities, such as cutting diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Department of Defense and prohibiting transgender women from competing in women’s sports at U.S. service academies.
But it also provides $400 million for military assistance in Ukraine over two years and repeals the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force in Iraq. The bill includes a provision withholding part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until he releases the unedited videos of the boat strikes against alleged drug smugglers.
For Alabama, the NDAA authorized $50 million for an access control point at Anniston Army Depot, $55 million for a propulsion systems building at Redstone Arsenal, $64 million for a warehouse at Anniston and $28 million for area maintenance support at Maxwell Air Force Base.
Tuberville also highlighted how the bill authorizes funding for the Golden Dome, Trump’s missile defense shield initiative, supports the procurement of MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters at Maxwell and makes investments in shipbuilding.
Other Alabama provisions include expediting the construction of the Space Command headquarters, helping to reduce bottlenecks at the gates of Redstone Arsenal and limiting funding to transform the helicopter training program at Fort Rucker.