• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

Senate advances NDAA, teeing up final passage for annual defense policy bill

by December 17, 2024
written by December 17, 2024

The Senatevoted to advance its annual $895 billion defense policy bill, a signal that the legislation is on track to pass despite Democratic grumblings over a transgender care provision.

A vote to invoke cloture, or pass an 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 voting no – a much larger margin than in years passed when the legislation typically enjoyed bipartisan support. 

The 1,800-page bill details how $895.2 billion allocated toward defense and national security will be spent. It will be voted on more than two months after the start of the fiscal year. 

The $895.2 billion represents a 1% increase over last year’s budget, a smaller number than some defense hawks would have liked. 

A significant portion of the legislation focused on quality-of-life improvements for service members amid record recruitment issues, a focus of much bipartisan discussion over the last year. That includes a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops and increasing access to child care for service members while also providing job support to military spouses.

The measure authorizes a 4.5% across-the-board pay raise for all service members starting Jan. 1. 

The NDAA typically enjoys wide bipartisan support, but this year’s focus on eliminating ‘woke’ policies was hard for some Democrats to stomach. 

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

‘Blanketly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased notion against transgender people, is wrong,’ he said in a statement. ‘This provision injected a level of partisanship not traditionally seen in defense bills.’

The goal of that provision is to prevent any ‘medical interventions that could result in sterilization’ of minors.

Other provisions, like a blanket ban on funding for gender transition surgeries for adults, did not make their way into the bill, neither did a ban on requiring masks to prevent the spread of diseases. 

The bill also supports deploying the National Guard to the southern border to help with illegal immigrant apprehensions and drug flow. 

Another provision opens the door to allowing airmen and Space Force personnel to grow facial hair; it directs the secretary of the Air Force to brief lawmakers on ‘the feasibility and advisability’ of establishing a pilot program to test out allowing beards. 

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

But the bill did not include an amendment to walk back a provision allowing the Pentagon to reimburse service members who have to travel out of state to get an abortion.

The bill extends a hiring freeze on DEI-related roles and stops all such recruitment until ‘an investigation of the Pentagon’s DEI programs’ can be completed.

It also bans the Defense Department from contracting with advertising companies ‘that blacklist conservative news sources,’ according to an internal GOP memo.

The memo said the NDAA also guts funding for the Biden administration’s ‘Countering Extremist Activity Working Group’ dedicated to rooting out extremism in the military’s ranks. The annual defense policy bill also does not authorize ‘any climate change programs’ and prohibits the Pentagon from issuing climate impact-based guidance on weapons systems.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., touted $31 billion in savings in the legislation that would come from cutting ‘inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon bureaucracy.’

The compromise NDAA bill, negotiated between Republican and Democrat leadership, sets policy for the nation’s largest government agency, but a separate defense spending bill must be passed to allocate funds for such programs.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Trump dispels rumors he will seek to ban polio vaccine: ‘Not going to happen’
next post
Top Harris aide hypes radical activist who said ‘America deserved 9/11’ while plotting future for Dems

related articles

Department of Justice opens criminal investigation into NY...

May 9, 2025

Trump’s first vice president urges his old boss...

May 9, 2025

White House highlights over $2B in savings from...

May 8, 2025

GOP talk on millionaire tax hike ‘makes no...

May 8, 2025

GOP senators: Congress should vote on Trump’s potential...

May 8, 2025

Trump considers tax hike on Americans making $2.5...

May 8, 2025

Chief Justice Roberts doubles down on defense of...

May 8, 2025

Trump pulls his nomination for DC US attorney,...

May 8, 2025

Trump touts ‘rebuilding and modernization’ of US air...

May 8, 2025

Trump targets Iranian oil with sanctions, increasing pressure...

May 8, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • ‘Big win’: Trump touts federal funding bill passage in the House

    March 12, 2025
  • Iran ‘one to two weeks away’ from weapons-grade nuclear material as US continues sanctions relief

    July 20, 2024
  • US Treasury targets Houthi-linked vessels to disrupt efforts to fund ‘dangerous and destabilizing attacks’

    April 28, 2025
  • Former defense secretaries condemn Trump’s firing of senior military officials in scathing letter

    February 28, 2025
  • Former Trump WH COVID doc ‘excited’ for questions at RFK confirmation hearing

    November 17, 2024

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 3

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 4

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (4,433)
  • Investing (593)
  • Stock (735)

Latest Posts

  • Harris campaign announces concert series with Bruce Springsteen to mobilize voters ahead of Election Day

    October 22, 2024
  • UiPath to lay off 10% of workforce in companywide restructuring

    July 10, 2024
  • ‘Woefully insufficient’: US judge reams Trump admin for days-late deportation info

    March 20, 2025

Recent Posts

  • Can Biden really just hand over millions in campaign cash to Kamala?

    August 2, 2024
  • Disney tops quarterly profit estimates but starts to lose Disney+ streaming subscribers

    February 6, 2025
  • Taiwanese people ready to fight as China ramps up aggression, ambassador says

    October 4, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • Expert warns UN’s role in AI regulation could lead to safety overreach

    October 5, 2024
  • Moderate Republican Murkowski won’t back Trump pick Hegseth for defense secretary

    January 23, 2025
  • Market Trends Shift: Anticipating the Fed’s Impact on Stocks

    July 29, 2024
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Email Whitelisting

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock