U.S. House backs sweeping defense bill, voting continues

The U.S. House of Representatives backed legislation on Thursday paving the way for the defense budget to hit a record $858 billion next year, $45 billion more than proposed by President Joe Biden.

As voting continued, the House backed a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual must-pass bill setting policy for the Pentagon, by a vote of 323 to 70, exceeding the two-thirds majority required to pass the legislation and send it for a vote in the Senate.