Does latest US military spending bill place any constraints on Trump? 

The US Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve its annual defence budget on Wednesday, authorising $901bn in military spending while also pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to hand over video footage of military strikes on suspected drug-running boats in international waters close to Venezuela.

The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a 3.8 percent pay rise for service members, advanced through Congress with broad support from both parties. Senators approved the bill 77–20 on Wednesday, as lawmakers prepared to leave Washington for a holiday recess. It will now go to Trump for signature.

But the more than 3,000-page-long bill also imposed some constraints on the Trump administration’s deployment of the military. In addition to demanding more information about maritime strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean, the bill locks in current US troop numbers in Europe and sets out new allocations for specific forms of military assistance to Ukraine, as demanded by Democrats who want greater oversight of military affairs and assurance of support for Ukraine.

The bill reflects a negotiated middle ground, therefore, shaped by rare areas of agreement between Republicans and Democrats on defence priorities. It enacts many of Trump’s executive actions, including proposals to dismantle diversity and inclusion initiatives within the armed forces, but also strengthens congressional scrutiny of the Department of Defense.

What objections were there to the bill?

Despite its passage, the expansive bill drew criticism from representatives of both parties. Two Republicans – Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee – and 18 Democrats voted against it.

They raised specific concerns over a provision that allows military aircraft to fly without transmitting precise location data – a practice that was used by an Army helicopter during a January midair collision with a commercial plane over Washington, DC, which killed 67 people.

“The special carve-out was exactly what caused the January 29 crash that claimed 67 lives,” Senator Ted Cruz, the Republican chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said during a news conference this week.

Cruz said he plans to push for a bipartisan vote next month on legislation that would require military aircraft to use exact location-sharing technology and enhance coordination with commercial aviation in congested airspace.

Elsewhere, the NDAA does not include funding to pay for a name change from the Department of Defense to the Department of War, something Trump has said he wants but cannot formally do without congressional approval.

What did the Democrats demand?

Many of the Democrats’ concerns relate to Ukraine.

Democratic lawmakers have been repeatedly blindsided by the Trump administration over the past year, including on decisions to suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine and to scale back US troop deployments in eastern NATO countries.

However, Democrats managed to ensure that the bill included a requirement for advance notice to Congress of such actions, as well as of the removal of senior military leaders – an area in which Democrats have also sought greater oversight.

Under the new legislation, the Pentagon must keep at least 76,000 troops and major military assets stationed in Europe, despite the release of Trump’s latest national security strategy, which is viewed by many as overly friendly to Russia and too critical of Europe.

Typically, between 80,000 and 100,000 US troops are deployed across Europe.

Congress also approved $400m annually over the next two years to produce weapons for Ukraine. Most of these funds have been earmarked for US weapons manufacturers.

What demands did Democrats make regarding Venezuela operations?

Since early September, the US has engaged in a series of aerial strikes against suspected Venezuelan drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean Sea. About 90 people have been killed in more than 20 strikes.

But lawmakers have grown increasingly sceptical about the boat strikes and their legality – many have expressed concern that the operation’s end game is, in fact, to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Many legal experts say targeting vessels in international waters likely violates US and international law and amounts to extrajudicial executions.

On Tuesday, Hegseth visited Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers about the US military operation in international waters near Venezuela. Reactions to the briefing were mixed, with most Republicans supporting the campaign and Democrats voicing unease, arguing they lacked sufficient information.

Representatives from both parties, therefore, agreed to freeze 25 percent of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel funds until he submits unedited footage of attacks off the coast of Venezuela – along with strike authorisation orders – to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the Navy officer who ordered a “double-tap” strike – a second hit on a boat which had already been destroyed and which killed two survivors in the water in September – testified in a classified session before the committees on Wednesday, which did include video footage of the incident.

Democrats, however, are demanding that portions of the footage be released publicly and that all members of Congress be granted access to the full video.

“The American people absolutely need to see this video,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.

“I think they would be shocked.”

Not really. While the NDAA has strengthened legislative oversight over recent military operations in Venezuela, many lawmakers continue to worry about growing tensions between Washington and Caracas.

“The Constitution vests this body with authority over matters of war and peace. That power has too often been ceded to the executive branch,” Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks said on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

“Congress must make clear to all of us that no president can unilaterally draw the United States into a conflict,” he added.

“It’s easy to get into a war. It’s hard as hell to get out of war,” Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern warned. “I’ve been around long enough to hear representatives of both parties talk about war as something simple, ‘You can get into it. We get out of it easy. No big deal.’ That’s never happened.

“Even the Pentagon says it will be very, very complicated to topple Maduro,” he said.

Furthermore, the bill was passed on the same night that a Democrat-led resolution requiring explicit congressional approval for US military action in Venezuela was voted down. Introduced by lawmakers including McGovern and Meeks, the measure reflected concern that Trump’s strikes risk sliding into an undeclared war.

While the Constitution does give Congress sole authority to declare war, presidents have been known to act under broader authorities. The Democrat bill aimed to close that gap. Its defeat leaves the administration wide latitude to continue operations without new congressional consent, Democrats fear.