Senate moves forward on NDAA, includes approval of annual defense policy bill

The Senate voted to advance its $895 billion annual defense policy bill, a sign that the legislation is on track to pass despite Democratic complaints about transgender care coverage.

The vote to invoke the clove, or pass agreement to limit debate, on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate 63 to 7 on Monday evening. The bill now heads to a final vote later this week.

The legislation passed the House last week 281-140, with 16 Republicans voting no. Only 81 Democrats voted yes – 124 voted no – a much larger margin than in previous years when the legislation enjoyed bipartisan support.

The 1,800-page bill outlines how $895.2 billion will be spent on national security and defense. It will be voted on more than two months before the start of the financial year.

The $895.2 billion represents a 1% increase over last year's budget, which is less than defense hawks would like.

An important part of the legislation focuses on improving the quality of life for service members between records recruitment issueswhich has been the focus of various debates over the past year. That includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted soldiers and expanding access to child care for service members while providing job support for military spouses.

The measure authorizes a 4.5% pay raise for all service members effective Jan. 1.

The NDAA usually enjoys broad bipartisan support, but this year's focus on ending “rebellious” policies has been difficult for some Democrats to stomach.

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A policy proposal to prohibit Tricare, the military's health care provider, from covering transgender services for young dependents of service members has raised concerns, prompting the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, reconsider his support. with the bill.

“Blankly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased view of transgender people, is wrong,” he said in a statement. “This provision has introduced a level of bias not normally seen in securities lending.”

The goal of that provision is to prevent any “medical intervention that may result in sterilization” of children.

Other provisions, such as a blanket ban on funding gender reassignment surgery for adults, did not make it into the bill, and a ban on requiring masks to prevent the spread of disease.

The bill also supports the deployment of National Guard on the southern border to assist with the arrest of illegal immigrants and the flow of drugs.

Another provision opens the door to allowing Air Force and Space Force personnel to grow facial hair; directs the secretary of the Air Force to inform lawmakers of the “feasibility and advisability” of establishing a pilot program to test the acceptance of beards.

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Democrats are also upset that the bill did not include a provision to expand access to IVF for service members. Currently, military health care only covers IVF for soldiers whose fertility is linked to a service-related illness or injury.

But the bill did not include an amendment to roll back a provision that allows the Pentagon to send back service members who must leave the country. abortion.

The bill extends the hiring freeze for DEI-related roles and freezes all such hiring until “an investigation into the Pentagon's DEI programs is completed”.

It also prohibits the Department of Defense from contracting with advertising companies that “filter protected media sources,” according to the Internal GOP memo.

The memo said the NDAA also receives funding from the Biden administration's “Counting Extremist Activity Working Group” dedicated to ending extremism in the ranks of the military. The annual defense policy bill also does not authorize “any climate change programs” and prohibits the Pentagon from issuing guidance based on the impact of climate on weapons programs.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., released $31 billion in funding for the legislation that would come from cutting “inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon management.”

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The NDAA consensus bill, negotiated between the Republican and Democratic leadership, sets the policy for the largest federal agency in the country, but a separate defense spending bill must be passed to allocate funds for those programs.