WASHINGTON – The Senate passed an $886 billion defense spending plan Wednesday with support from President Joe Biden. The plan includes funding for Ukraine and annual pay increases for military personnel, as it races to approve spending by the end of the year.
The National Defense Authorization Act provides annual funding for Department of Defense priorities such as training and equipment.The Senate passed the bill on a bipartisan vote of 87-13.. For the past 61 years, Congress has passed successive defense spending bills.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Wednesday on the Senate floor that “passing the National Defense Authorization Act is more important than ever at a time of great concern to global security.” . “Passage of the NDAA will allow us to hold the line against Russia, stand firm against Communist China, and keep America's national defense on the cutting edge.”
The bill, currently before the House, has been partially revised after lawmakers removed controversial provisions that could have amended the Pentagon's abortion policy and some gender-affirming health care. ultra-conservative Republicans are threatening to water down the bill. They are also unhappy that the domestic surveillance program included in the bill will be temporarily extended without reform.
What does the NDAA include?
The Senate's NDAA is a compromise version of the spending bill the House passed earlier this year. The House version included provisions targeting the Pentagon's transgender health care policy and an amendment to rescind the Pentagon's policy covering out-of-state travel for service members who undergo abortions. The abortion policy was something one Alabama Republican, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, protested for 10 months by blocking all military promotions in the Senate.
Senate NDAA contains clauses it is:
- Authorizes $844.3 billion for the Department of Defense and $32.4 billion for national security programs within the Department of Energy.
- Supporting Department of Defense activities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States
- Extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through fiscal year 2027 and approves a full budget request of $300 million in fiscal year 2024.
- Provides military and Department of Defense civilian workers with a 5.2 percent pay increase
- Requests funding for naval ships, fighter jets, armored vehicles, weapons systems and munitions
Several Senate Republicans have threatened in recent weeks to delay passage of the spending bill, citing the lack of amendments on social issues.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) pushed for a procedural vote to delay passage of the bill in the Senate.
“Shame on Schumer for supporting the Biden administration's radical abortion policies. I will never back down from the fight,” Ernst wrote on X on Tuesday. “The Department of Defense is committed to protecting innocent lives, not destroying them. We should focus on that.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) also tried to block the NDAA package after the final version of the bill providing compensation to victims of nuclear contamination was removed.he forced a procedural vote Announced last week at the NDAA, that package could not be delayed.
Republicans debate surveillance program
The Senate's NDAA also includes a four-month extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a domestic surveillance program that is set to expire this month. This program allows the government to collect the private messages of foreign nationals abroad who use US-based messaging platforms.
The Senate voted to block an amendment proposed by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would remove the Section 702 extension.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said allowing the program to expire would mean jeopardize national security.
Some members of Congress agree and believe Section 702 is necessary to keep the country safe. But some say it has been exploited.
Rep. Greg Steube (R-Florida): “Congress has an opportunity to say no more constitutional investigations of Americans that can only be authorized by secret courts.'' I wrote to X. “We must stand our ground and protect the civil liberties of Americans.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) last week removed two bills from consideration in the House after facing opposition from within his caucus over how he would handle reauthorizing the programs.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called Section 702 “the greatest abuse and violation of the Fourth Amendment in our nation's history.”
“Our Republican base is interested in stopping the weaponization of government, and right now there is no accountability,” she said. I wrote to X.
Will it pass in the House?
The NDAA now heads to the House of Representatives, where it will need a two-thirds vote to pass.
However, there is strong opposition among some Republicans who argue that the bill lacks provisions regarding social issues.
“The NDAA's sole focus should be national defense and security issues, but instead it funds transgender surgeries in the military and still allows drag queen shows on military bases. It's time to go back to square one. Here we come,” said Congressman Andy Harris. Republican Maryland Physicians said in a statement.
