The Senate voted to advance its annual $895 billion defense policy bill on Monday evening, signaling that the legislation is on track for final approval despite Democratic opposition to a provision restricting transgender care. The vote to invoke cloture, which limits debate, passed 63 to 7. A final vote is expected later this week.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House last week with a 281-140 vote. Notably, 16 Republicans opposed the bill, while 124 Democrats voted against it. Traditionally a bipartisan effort, this year’s bill faced more division due to debates over “woke” policies.
The 1,800-page bill outlines how $895.2 billion will be spent on defense and national security, representing a modest 1% increase over last year’s budget. The bill includes several provisions aimed at improving the quality of life for service members, addressing record recruitment challenges. These measures include a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops, increased access to childcare, and job support for military spouses.
In addition, the legislation authorizes a 4.5% across-the-board pay raise for all service members, effective January 1.
A major sticking point for Democrats is a provision preventing Tricare, the military’s healthcare provider, from covering transgender services for the minor dependents of service members. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), the leading Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, criticized this provision, stating, “Blanketly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased notion against transgender people, is wrong.” The provision aims to prevent “medical interventions that could result in sterilization” of minors.
Other contentious measures, such as banning gender transition surgeries for adults and prohibiting mask mandates, were excluded from the final bill. However, the NDAA supports deploying the National Guard to the southern border to address illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Additional provisions include a directive to explore allowing airmen and Space Force personnel to grow beards. The bill also extends a hiring freeze on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) roles until an investigation into the Pentagon’s DEI programs is completed.
The legislation blocks the Defense Department from contracting with advertising firms that “blacklist conservative news sources.” It also eliminates funding for the Biden administration’s “Countering Extremist Activity Working Group,” which was created to address extremism within the military ranks. The bill further prohibits the Pentagon from issuing climate change-based guidance on weapons systems and excludes funding for any climate change programs.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) praised the bill’s $31 billion in savings, achieved by cutting “inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon bureaucracy.”
While the NDAA sets policy for the Department of Defense, a separate spending bill must be passed to allocate funds. The bill’s passage underscores ongoing political debates over defense priorities, social policies, and national security.
