Washington, Dec 9 (IANS): The US House of Representatives has passed the annual defence authorization bill.

The National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) -- worth $847 billion -- now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The NDAA includes a topline of $817 billion for the Pentagon and about $30 billion to fund nuclear activities overseen by the US Department of Energy, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US has been heavily criticised for hefty spending on military activities.

In 2021, the US military spending represented nearly 40 per cent of the world's total, more than the next nine countries combined.

Andrew Lautz, Director of federal policy for the National Taxpayers Union, a US taxpayer advocacy organisation, 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 defence contractors, who benefit mightily from the taxpayer-funded largesse," Lautz complained.