Senate passes defense spending bill, sending it to Biden’s desk
Mike Brest
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The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, sending the must-pass defense funding bill to President Joe Biden’s desk.
Senators voted 83 to 11 for the NDAA, with a top line that includes a $45 billion bump on the $813 billion total requested by Biden earlier this year. That additional sum came out to be funding increases for procurement; research, development, test and evaluation; operation and maintenance; military construction; and defense-related nuclear programs.
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The NDAA breaks down into $279 billion for military personnel, $210 billion for military personnel and health, $163 billion for procurement, $139 billion for research, development, test, and evaluation, $30 billion for defense-related nuclear programs, and $19 billion for military construction.
“We are pleased to announce we’ve come to a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. This year’s agreement continues the Armed Services Committees’ 62-year tradition of working together to support our troops and strengthen America’s national security. We urge Congress to pass the NDAA quickly and the President to sign it when it reaches his desk,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member Mike Rogers (R-AL), Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI), and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said in a statement when the text of the bill was released earlier this month.
Negotiators agreed to end the military’s coronavirus vaccine mandate through the NDAA, despite Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s continued support for the mandate. The mandate has already resulted in the separation of thousands of service members. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would not say earlier this month if Biden would veto the NDAA over the provision.
An amendment reinstating service members who were already separated for not receiving the vaccine was defeated, with only 40 senators voting in favor.
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The legislation also authorizes $800 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is when the department funds the production of military equipment and requires quarterly briefings on the efforts to replenish U.S. stocks of tactical missiles that have been provided to Ukraine.
The NDAA has passed every year for roughly 60 years.