<p>The U.S. House of Representatives added two blockchain-related amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress's annual defense spending bill, which it passed on Tuesday.</p> <p>Both amendments <a href="https://soto.house.gov/media/press-releases/soto-amendments-pass-annual-house-defense-bill">were introduced</a> by U.S. Representative Darren Soto of Florida. One adds distributed ledger technologies (DLT) to the definition of so-called emerging technologies, meaning blockchain would be included in future assessments from the newly formed Steering Committee on Emerging Technology and Security Needs. </p> <p>The other amendment calls on the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to complete a study on the potential of distributed ledger technology for defense purposes and adds a requirement to report the key findings in the study to Congress.</p> <p>Soto is a <a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/daily/59022/congressman-darren-soto-on-libra-trumps-crypto-tweets-and-getting-blockchain-into-the-federal-budget">blockchain technology advocate</a> and co-chair of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, which has championed other crypto-related budget items and legislation including the <a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/18996/token-taxonomy-act-reintroduced-providing-sharper-legislative-language-to-congress">Token Taxonomy Act</a> and Digital Taxonomy Act.</p> <p>The final version of the NDAA will be a product of negotiations between the House and the Senate and will require the president's signature before becoming law. </p>