US House Passes $768Bln Defense Spending Bill, Sends To Senate For Vote

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2021) The US House of Representatives passed an updated version of the $768 billion defense spending bill for 2022, sending it to the Senate for consideration.

The House approved the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) en bloc with other bills with a 363-70 vote on Tuesday night.

The budget earmarks $7.1 billion for operations in the Indo-Pacific region, with initiatives to address challenges from China such as risks to supply chains for critical defense systems.

The defense spending bill also includes $4 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative and $300 million in security aid for Ukraine.

The legislation would also require biennial reporting on alleged Russian influence operations and campaigns targeting American military alliances.

The NDAA does not include sanctions against Russian sovereign debt or sanctions against Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline despite attempts by lawmakers to add them to the legislation amid rising tensions with Moscow over the buildup of forces near Ukraine.