The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is any of a series of
United States federal law
The law of the United States comprises many levels of Codification (law), codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the supreme law is the nation's Constitution of the United States, Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the ...
s specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the
U.S. Department of Defense. The first NDAA was passed in 1961. The U.S. Congress oversees the defense budget primarily through
two yearly bills: the National Defense Authorization Act and defense appropriations bills. The
authorization bill is the jurisdiction of the
Senate Armed Services Committee
The Committee on Armed Services, sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee, is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defen ...
and
House Armed Services Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of ...
and determines the agencies responsible for defense, establishes recommended funding levels, and sets the policies under which money will be spent. The
appropriations bill
An appropriation bill, also known as supply bill or spending bill, is a proposed law that authorizes the expenditure of government funds. It is a bill that sets money aside for specific spending. In some democracies, approval of the legislature ...
provides funds.
The passage of a Defense Authorization Act is often used by Congress to honor a senior congress member or other individual. For example, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 is known as the "Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001" in honor of Representative
Floyd D. Spence of
South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
.
United States Government Publishing Office
The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO), formerly the United States Government Printing Office, is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office produces and distributes informati ...
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001
Section 1, accessed 24 December 2022
Legislation from 1981 to present
See also
*
McCarran Internal Security Act
The Internal Security Act of 1950, (Public Law 81-831), also known as the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950, the McCarran Act after its principal sponsor Sen. Pat McCarran (D-Nevada), or the Concentration Camp Law, is a United States f ...
References
Further reading
* Christophe Paulussen
''The US NDAA and its Controversial Counter-Terrorism Provisions'' (International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague, 2012)
External links
House Armed Services CommitteeSenate Armed Services CommitteeAppropriation and authorization actson neilwhiteman.com
{{National Defense Authorization Acts
U.S. National Defense Authorization Acts