The US Senate approved a defense budget of $925 billion: how much will be allocated for aid to Ukraine

The United States Senate has approved a $925 billion defense budget bill for fiscal year 2026. The bill would increase funding for the Ukraine security assistance program by up to $500 million. The Senate and House of Representatives must now agree on the final text of the bill.

This is reported by The Hill.

The U.S. Senate has approved its own version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the main document that determines the size and direction of Pentagon funding for the next fiscal year. The bill was passed with 77 senators voting in favor and 20 against, demonstrating broad bipartisan support for the bill.

The total defense budget is $925 billion, which is higher than the House of Representatives’ proposed budget of about $893 billion. The bill covers funding for the U.S. Armed Forces, modernization of military programs, increased cybersecurity, and strengthened cooperation with allies.

A special emphasis is placed on support for Ukraine. The Senate version of the bill provides for the extension of the “Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative” (USAI) until 2028. The amount of funding under the program is proposed to be increased from $300 million in 2025 to $500 million in 2026. These funds should be used to purchase weapons and equipment from American manufacturers for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

During the debate, senators also adopted a number of important amendments. In particular, it is about the cancellation of old authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq, which were in force since 1991 and 2002. This initiative was supported by both Democrats and Republicans, including Senators Tim Kaine and Todd Young. Despite the fact that the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Roger Wicker, spoke against it, he agreed to the vote without objections, recognizing the need to review outdated decisions.

The Senate version, however, differs from the document previously passed by the House of Representatives. The lower house of Congress approved a more conservative version that contained a number of controversial amendments, due to which the document received the support of only 17 Democrats. The Senate, on the other hand, avoided similar political conflicts, gathering broad support from both parties.

After Senate approval, both houses of Congress will move to a reconciliation committee to finalize the bill. A reconciled version is expected to be approved by the end of the year to ensure continued funding for the U.S. defense sector through fiscal year 2026.

It was previously reported that in the United States, the Senate on October 6 failed to pass either of two resolutions that would have stopped the federal government shutdown.

As you know, the US federal government officially shut down at midnight on October 1 due to the failure of attempts to pass temporary funding for the new budget year . The reason was the conflict between Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

Recall that the US House of Representatives supported the defense policy bill for fiscal year 2025 with a total budget of $892.6 billion. The document provides for increased funding for the Pentagon, an increase in military salaries, and restrictions on social rights for some military personnel.

Recall that the state budget of Ukraine for 2026 will be formed based on the scenario of the continuation of the war for the entire year.

As reported, despite the lack of funding for the war, the government continues to launch new social programs — grants for self-employed persons, cashbacks, “School Student Packages,” and resilience centers . Meanwhile, about UAH 300 billion is still missing to finance the army by the end of the year.

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