Foreign policy & defense
National Defense Authorization Act
The annual bill setting defense policy and authorizing programs. It authorizes but does not appropriate: the money comes in a separate defense appropriations bill.
In full
The NDAA has passed every year for more than six decades, which makes it one of the few reliable legislative vehicles and therefore a magnet for unrelated policy. It sets troop levels, pay raises, weapons programs, and reporting requirements, and its conference report is one of the most consequential documents Congress produces each year.
Also written as: NDAA
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.