US Congress passes US$886 billion defence budget, Biden to sign into law

The US Congress approved a staggering defence budget of US$886 billion for 2024 on Thursday (Dec 14)

The US Congress approved a staggering defence budget of US$886 billion for 2024 on Thursday (Dec 14), while also extending a controversial overseas electronic surveillance system widely used by US intelligence services.

The vast spending bill, adopted in the House of Representatives after a vote in the Senate on Wednesday, provides billions of dollars to "enhance US deterrence and defence posture in the Indo-Pacific region" and counter China's rising influence there.

The document also extends a military aid program to Ukraine, allowing the gradual release of US$300 million for Kyiv.

That sum is much less than the separate US$61 billion requested by the US and Ukrainian presidents from Congress by the end of the year, a gigantic package for arming Ukraine that is still being debated.

The bill also extends by several months a law governing overseas electronic surveillance of foreign individuals, which has been widely criticised by privacy groups and which was about to expire.