In Authorizing $895 Billion for Pentagon Spending, Congress Amplifies Insecurity

The Senate just passed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), 85-14, sending the military policy bill to President Biden’s desk for final approval. The House approved the bill by a 281-140 margin last week.

“At $895 billion, the NDAA authorizes 21% more for the Pentagon than the $740 billion authorized by Trump’s final NDAA,” said Center for International Policy Senior Non-Resident Fellow Stephen Semler.

Here are some other notable increases in the US since 2021:

• Financial hardship, +24%
• Food insecurity, +38%
• Child food insecurity, +46%
• Poverty, +65%
• Child Poverty, +163%

Added Semler, “Human security is deteriorating in a country that spends more on its military than the next ten countries combined. This is not the mark of a nation in sync with its interests or its people rather, it signifies a failure in governance.

“The recent surge in Pentagon spending over the last two administrations has not produced the national security dividends political leaders have promised. Instead, it has added fuel to a dangerous and ill-fated foreign policy. Inflating the Pentagon budget only amplifies insecurity, rewards bad actors and increases the risk of more war.”

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