SenateThe vote passed the annual $895 billion defense policy bill, a sign that it is on track to pass despite Democratic criticism of transgender care provisions.
The Senate voted 63-7 on Monday night to move toward a closing vote, or a deal to limit debate, on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill will go to a final vote later this week.
legislation passed House of Representatives Last week, 16 Republicans voted against it, 281 to 140. Just 81 Democrats voted in favor and 124 opposed, a much larger margin than in past years when the legislation typically had bipartisan support.
The 1,800-page bill details how $895.2 billion for defense and national security will be spent. It will come to a vote more than two months after the start of the current fiscal year.
The $895.2 billion represents a 1% increase from last year's budget and is lower than some defense hawks had expected.
Aerial view of the Pentagon in Washington, DC, March 31, 2024. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
A large portion of the legislation focuses on record improvements to the quality of life for service members Recruitment issuesIt was the focus of discussion between the two parties last year. These include a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted members, increased access to child care for service members, and employment support for military spouses.
The measure authorizes an across-the-board 4.5% pay increase for all service members starting Jan. 1.
The defense authorization bill usually enjoys broad bipartisan support, but this year's focus on eliminating "woke" policies has made it difficult for some Democrats to accept.
Pentagon announces new counter-drone strategy as drone attacks on U.S. interests surge
A proposed policy that would ban military health care provider Tricare from providing transgender services to minor military dependents has raised concerns, prompting Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, to reconsider his support for the bill.
"It is wrong to deny care outright to those who clearly need it simply because of bias against transgender people," he said in a statement. "This provision injects elements of traditional defense legislation into the There’s no level of partisanship.”
The purpose of this provision is to prevent any "medical intervention that could lead to sterilization" on minors.
Other provisions, such as a blanket ban on funding for sex reassignment surgeries for adults and a ban on requiring masks to prevent the spread of disease, were not included in the bill.
The bill also supports the deployment national guard Head to the southern border and help apprehend illegal immigrants and drug flows.
Another provision opens the door to allowing pilots and Space Force personnel to grow beards; it directs the Air Force secretary to brief lawmakers on establishing a pilot program to test the "feasibility and desirability" of allowing beards.
Who vie for power in Syria after Bashar Assad falls
Democrats were also unhappy that the bill did not include provisions to expand access to in vitro fertilization for military personnel. Currently, military health care only covers in vitro fertilization for soldiers who suffer from infertility due to service illness or injury.
But the bill does not include an amendment to eliminate a provision that would have allowed the Pentagon to compensate service members who must travel abroad. Abortion.
The bill extends a hiring freeze for DEI-related positions and halts all such hiring until "an investigation into the Pentagon's DEI program" is completed.
The bill also prohibits the Defense Department from contracting with advertising companies that "blacklist conservative news sources," according to one report. Internal Republican memo.
The defense authorization bill also provides funding for the Biden administration's Countering Extremist Activities Task Force, which is dedicated to rooting out extremism in the military, the memo said. The annual defense policy bill also does not authorize "any climate change program" and prohibits the Pentagon from issuing guidance on weapons systems based on climate impacts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, claimed the legislation would save $31 billion by cutting "inefficient programs, outdated weapons and a bloated Pentagon bureaucracy."
Click here to get the Fox News app
The compromise NDAA negotiated by Republican and Democratic leadership sets policy for the nation's largest government agencies, but a separate defense spending bill must be passed to allocate funds for such programs.