NDAA PASSES SENATE 87-13: With an overwhelming bipartisan vote, the Senate has passed and sent to the House the annual National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2024, which began Oct. 1. The bill supports $883.7 billion in defense spending, including $841.4 billion for the Pentagon, a roughly 3% increase over last year.

Senators praised the passage as a sign that Democrats and Republicans are capable of working together and finding compromise when U.S. national security is at stake, and they were anxious to tout the 5.2% pay raise for both the military and civilian DOD employees.