US approves mammoth annual defense bill

The House approved its version of the annual defense policy bill Friday, which includes a number of controversial culture war amendments, setting the stage for a showdown with the Democratic-controlled Senate over legislation that typically enjoys bipartisan support, reports The Hill.

The US$883.7 billion measure — known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — were approved in a largely party-line 217-199 vote. Six Democrats voted in favor of the measure, while three Republicans opposed it.

The House edition of the legislation is all but certain to languish in the Senate where Democrats, who hold the majority, abhor many of the amendments Republicans added, including those pertaining to abortion, transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The Senate Armed Services Committee this week held a markup for its version of the NDAA, the text of which is not expected to be released until July, a spokesperson for the panel told The Hill.

Leaders in both chambers will then craft a compromise version of the legislation, which has been voted on and signed into law every year for the past six decades.

Top Republicans, nonetheless, touted their bill as a strong measure that will back US troops, empower the National Guard to crack down on the southern border and provide American forces with innovative technologies.

At the top of the list of culture war amendments added to the House’s NDAA was a provision spearheaded by Rep. Beth Van Duyne that seeks to block a Biden administration policy that reimburses service members for the travel costs incurred when receiving an abortion.

It zeroes in on the same Pentagon policy that Sen. Tommy Tuberville targeted through his months-long blockade on military promotions last year.

Ahead of Thursday’s votes, Democrats warned GOP leaders against loading the bill with so-called poison pills — Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Navy veteran, argued that the conservative amendments “cheapen” the defense bill. 

The GOP strategy of embracing culture war issues in the NDAA is not new. Then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy did the same last year, relying on a united GOP as almost all Democrats opposed the bill after Republicans loaded it with similar amendments attacking Pentagon policies on abortion access, medical care for transgender service members, and DEI initiatives.

Similar to last year, Republican leaders this time around had little room for error when it came to the final vote on the NDAA. Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House, allowing them to lose just two GOP votes on any party-line measures, assuming all lawmakers are present.

The House-passed NDAA abides by the spending caps laid out in last year’s debt limit agreement, imposing one percent increase over the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill. The legislation, however, reshuffles billions of dollars proposed by the Pentagon, increasing funds for submarines, paring down money for fighter jets and delaying the retirement of dozens of aircraft.

The bill also has a provision that would rehire service members kicked out for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

In addition, the House NDAA contains widely supported quality of life initiatives for service members, such as a roughly 20% pay boost for junior enlisted members and increases to housing allowances.

 

US war mongering to touch new highs

On Monday Joe Biden, President of United States signed a sweeping US$768 billion defense policy bill, setting up top lines and policy for the Pentagon. Biden signed the fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) after Congress scrambled to pass the annual bill earlier this month.

In a statement, the president said, “The bill provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense.”

The House passed the bill by an overwhelmingly bipartisan 363-70 vote in early December, and the Senate later passed the bill by a bipartisan 88-11 vote. 

Rep. Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that there’s a lot to be proud of in this bill.

The US$768.2 billion compromise bill came after efforts to pass an earlier version of the bill in the Senate hit several snags, including failures to reach agreements on which amendments would receive floor votes.

The NDAA provides US$740 billion for the Department of Defense, which is US$25 billion more than what the president requested for the agency for fiscal 2022.  It also includes US$27.8 billion for defense-related activities in the Department of Energy and another US$378 million for other defense-related activities. 

While passing the NDAA is an important step, the measure does not authorize any spending; meaning Congress still needs to pass an appropriations bill.

Earlier this month, Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution which funds the government through Feb. 18.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month that passing a full-year continuing resolution, as opposed to a full-year appropriations bill, would be an unprecedented move that would cause enormous, if not irreparable, damage for a wide range of bipartisan priorities." 

Sen. Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, had warned that a full-year continuing resolution would put defense spending at US$35 billion less than what the NDAA provides for.

“We can all stand up here on the Senate floor and back at home, declaring our unwavering support for our troops and their families, and claiming to support a strong national defense, but until we put our money where our mouth is and provide the funding we say we support, those words ring hollow,” Leahy said in a statement. 

Among its provisions, the NDAA includes a 2.7 percent increase in military basic pay, which the White House recommended.

This year’s defense policy bill also includes major changes to how the military prosecutes certain crimes, like sexual assault. For those crimes, like rape, murder and manslaughter, the decision to prosecute would be made outside of the chain of command.

However, commanders would still have authority to conduct trials, pick jury members, approve witnesses and grant immunity.

The bill also weighs in on the military’s vaccine mandate, directing that service members who are discharged for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine get at least a general discharge under honorable conditions. 

But in his statement, Biden pointed to several provisions in the bill that he was against. Among them, he urged Congress to eliminate provisions that restrict the use of funds to transfer detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

He also opposed provisions that require sharing with Congress information regarding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the threat of Iranian-backed militias to US personnel in Iraq and the Middle East.

The measures would include highly sensitive classified information, Biden said, that could reveal critical intelligence sources or military operational plans.