Senate panel approves US$500 million aid for Ukraine in defense bill
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an annual policy bill that authorises funding levels and provides authorities for the US military.
It ensures that American forces have the necessary resources to carry out their missions and is closely watched by weapons makers like Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.
The NDAA, passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee with a vote of 26-1 on Jul 9, 2025, includes a provision to extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2028, increasing authorised funding to US$500 million from US$300 million in 2025.
The initiative aims to bolster Ukraine's defence capabilities as it battles Russian forces which invaded in 2022.
The bill also prohibits a controversial request made in President Donald Trump's June budget request to retire the Air Force A-10 fleet. The draft requires that the inventory of the A-10 cannot drop below 103 aircraft in FY26, ensuring the continued operation of these close air support planes.
The draft of the bill will make its way through the legislative process in the coming months. The lower House of Representatives kept Ukraine support at US$300 million in its version.
The NDAA supports a total of US$925 billion in funding for national defence, with US$878.7 billion allocated to the Department of Defense and US$35.2 billion to the Department of Energy. The bill also allows for up to US$6 billion in general transfer authority for unforeseen higher-priority needs.
In addition to Ukraine, the NDAA addresses various global security challenges, including threats from China, Iran, and North Korea.
It emphasises the need for technological advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence, unmanned technology, and hypersonic weapons to maintain US military superiority.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Trump says he will pick a 'temp' replacement for Fed's Kugler in days
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (Aug 6) he would likely in the next two to three days nominate a candidate, out of a short-list of three, to serve the remaining months of a soon-to-be-vacant position on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, leaving the choice of a permanent replacement for a later date. "We started the interviewing process," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, saying that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Vice President JD Vance were all involved. "We have some great candidates. It's probably down to three," he said. Fed Governor Adriana Kugler last week unexpectedly announced she was leaving as of this Friday to return to Georgetown University, where she is a tenured professor. Her term had been set to expire on Jan 31, 2026. Kugler's resignation leaves an opening at the seven-member Fed Board led by Chair Jerome Powell, whom Trump has repeatedly criticised for not lowering interest rates. Each Fed governor and five of the 12 Fed bank presidents cast one of 12 votes on interest rates at each of eight meetings a year; at the most recent meeting on Jul 29-30 the vote, with Kugler absent, was 9-2 in favour of leaving the policy rate unchanged. Two candidates whom Trump mentioned on Wednesday - former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh and current National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett - have both said they think Trump is right to push for lower rates. Trump did not identify the third candidate. On Wednesday Trump indicated the current Fed governor search would focus only on finding someone to serve out the remaining months of Kugler's term. "We're probably going to go with a temp and then a permanent, I think," Trump said. "So, the temp is going to be named, I'd say, in the next two, three days, and then we're going to go permanent." It is unclear how quickly a placeholder nominee would get into the position. TRUMP LOOKS TO WALL STREET Members of the Board of Governors are appointed to 14-year terms. Kugler herself, who has served since September 2023, had been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Lael Brainard. All nominees to the Fed require Senate confirmation - including a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, a vote from that panel advancing the nomination and a series of floor votes before the full Senate, where Democrats have been slowing the pace of approval for Trump appointees. The Senate is currently on recess and doesn't return until Sep 2, when lawmakers will have plenty of competing demands, including a likely fight over a potential government shutdown. There are just four rate-setting meetings remaining in the unexpired portion of Kugler's term, with the first one on Sep 16-17. Trump said again on Wednesday that Bessent was not interested in the Fed job, and said the new governor nominee would have roots in Wall Street. "Essentially, we're all from Wall Street, aren't we?" he said. Trump has long sought to oust Powell, whom he had originally named as the Fed chief during his first term, or at least replace him when his term ends in May. Powell, unlike many of his predecessors at the Fed, does not hold a doctorate in economics, but holds a law degree and had worked as a lawyer and an investment banker in New York.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Trump threatens takeover of Washington DC, with National Guard to fight crime
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Aug 6) suggested he may use the National Guard to police the streets of Washington, DC, in his latest threat to take over running the city that serves as the seat of the US government. "We have a capital that's very unsafe," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We have to run DC. This has to be the best-run place in the country." Trump, who has threatened a federal takeover of the city multiple times, renewed those threats after a young staffer who was part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was assaulted over the weekend. Musk, the billionaire former adviser to Trump who once spearheaded the DOGE effort, said the man was beaten and received a concussion. "It is time to federalise DC," he wrote. Asked if he was considering taking over the DC police, Trump responded affirmatively. "We just almost lost a young man, beautiful, handsome guy that got the hell knocked out of him," Trump said. The president posted a picture of the victim, Edward Coristine, known by the nickname "Big Balls", on social media, with blood on his face, arms, torso and legs. "We're going to beautify the city. We're going to make it beautiful. And what a shame, the rate of crime, the rate of muggings, killings and everything else. We're not going to let it. And that includes bringing in the National Guard, maybe very quickly, too," Trump said. A spokesman for DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to comment. Violent crime in the first seven months of 2025 was down by 26 per cent in DC compared to last year while overall crime was down about 7 per cent, according to records on the police department's website. Overall crime was down 15 per cent in 2024, compared to 2023, the website showed. The District of Columbia was established in 1790 with land from neighbouring Virginia and Maryland. Congress has control of its budget, but resident voters elect a mayor and city council, thanks to a law known as the Home Rule Act. For Trump to take over the city, Congress likely would have to pass a law revoking that act, which Trump would have to sign.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Shares in South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix tumble on US tariffs
SEOUL :Shares in South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix fell 3.1 per cent in early Thursday trade, after President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose a tariff of about 100 per cent on chips. SK Hynix supplies Nvidia with chips called high-bandwidth memory used in artificial intelligence chipsets. Trump said on Wednesday the United States will impose a tariff of about 100 per cent on semiconductors imported from countries not producing in the U.S. or planning to do so. But it would not apply to companies that had made a commitment to manufacture in the U.S. or were in the process of doing so. South Korea's trade envoy said on Thursday that SK Hynix and rival Samsung Electronics would not be subject to a 100 per cent U.S. tariff on chips.
