WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed the annual defense policy bill, setting the U.S. military’s top priorities despite pushback from some Republicans who wanted to include provisions on abortion and transgender health care.
One day after it got approval from the Senate, the National Defense Authorization Act passed the House in a 310-118 vote.
The bill will next go to President Joe Biden for his signature.
Wednesday: U.S. Senate passes NDAA, 87-13.
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 14, 2023
Thursday: U.S. House passes NDAA, 310-118.
Goes now to President Biden. pic.twitter.com/FEo2a0oLnK
The legislation includes a record $886 billion in annual military spending, authorizing a $5.2% pay raise for troops, aid for Ukraine and the purchase of ships, ammunition and aircraft, Reuters reported. It also includes updates to bases and barracks, and measures aimed at countering China and Russia, according to The Washington Post.
The bill also contained a short-term extension of a controversial law — Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — that allows for warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals, angering some lawmakers, CNN reported. Without the extension, the law would have gone away on Jan. 1, according to the Post.
“As America is facing unprecedented threats across the globe, the National Defense Authorization Act will strengthen our national security against adversaries like China and Russia, and support our servicemembers by providing them with the tools necessary to continue to be the most lethal and effective fighting force in the world,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Thursday in a statement.
The legislation was passed under a fast-track procedure that required approval from two-thirds of the House, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday that the bill “makes America safer and stronger.”
The legislation approved by the House did not include provisions proposed by hard-right lawmakers which would have barred the Defense Department from paying the travel costs for service members who need to travel to other states for abortions following the fall of Roe v. Wade, or from providing gender-related surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender people, the Journal reported. Both measures were part of the defense policy bill passed by the House over the summer, according to CNN.
