U.S. House sends defense funding bill to Senate for consideration

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the annual defense authorization bill on Thursday.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) -- worth 847 billion U.S. dollars -- now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The NDAA includes a topline of 817 billion dollars for the Pentagon and about 30 billion dollars to fund nuclear activities overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The United States has been heavily criticized for hefty spending on military activities.

In 2021, the U.S. military spending represented nearly 40 percent of the world's total, more than the next nine countries combined.

Andrew Lautz, director of federal policy for the National Taxpayers Union, a U.S. taxpayer advocacy organization, published an analysis on Wednesday, writing that "Congress is rushing to pass the NDAA over the next week or two, before they go home for the holidays."

"Christmas will come early for the nation's military brass, who often get to spend without consequences from lawmakers who control their purse strings, and defense contractors, who benefit mightily from the taxpayer-funded largesse," Lautz complained.