Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate apparently have not disagreement about defense spending. 

Fox News reports that, despite the fact that the government shutdown continues, Senators managed to pass a monstrous 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Does it make sense to you that the Senate can come together to pass this behemoth of a bill, but it can't reach an agreement to end the government shutdown?

The Senate passed its version of the annual defense authorization bill yesterday after weeks of stalemate https://t.co/cVIiJEkQlY

— Roll Call (@rollcall) October 10, 2025

A bipartisan effort

That's right, the NDAA received bipartisan support, passing through the upper chamber by a vote of 70-20. In other words, it was not even close to blocked.

The Hill reports:

The Senate approved its massive annual defense policy bill late Thursday as the U.S. government remains shut down. The GOP-led chamber approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 70-20, aiming to fund the U.S. military at $924.7 billion in fiscal 2026. The vote came after lawmakers reached a deal earlier in the day to unlock the stalled legislation.

It did take some doing to get the bill through the Senate, even though the vote was so lopsided.

Fox, for example, reports:

Senators charged through over a dozen partisan amendments and a massive batch of roughly 50 add-ons to the legislative package before moving the bill. The House passed its own version last month. Among the failed amendments was one from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., which would have blocked money to retrofit a Boeing 747 that President Donald Trump accepted from the Qatari government earlier this year . . . One successful amendment, from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., would repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force for Iraq, which, at the time, authorized President George W. Bush to use the U.S. military as he deemed "to be necessary and appropriate" in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.

Yet, no end to the government shutdown is in sight.

Troops to miss paychecks

Fox News reports that service members are likely to miss their paychecks thanks to the government shutdown.

Per the outlet:

Democrats and some Republicans have been demanding a House vote on ensuring U.S. troops do not miss their coming Oct. 15 paycheck or any others as the government shutdown barrels into a third week.

This past week, Republicans blocked one such effort from the Democrats.

Fox reports:

But GOP leaders have largely dismissed the request, panning it as a Democrat bid to save face after rejecting Republicans' funding bill that would have kept the military and other federal workers paid.

President Donald Trump, for his part, has insisted that U.S. troops will get "every last penny," one way or another.