Senate Approves Annual Defense Policy Bill, Setting Up Showdown with House
In a display of bipartisan support, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the annual defense policy bill on Thursday, avoiding a contentious debate over abortion access for service members and rejecting efforts to limit aid for Ukraine. The bill, which authorizes $886 billion for national defense in the next year, passed with a vote of 86 to 11.
The Senate bill includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for troops and civilian employees, investments in hypersonic missile and drone technology, and measures to enhance competition with China. However, its fate remains uncertain as it heads for negotiation between the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led House. The House bill has been loaded with conservative social policy mandates, leading to opposition from Democrats.
Republicans in the Senate chose to avoid conflicts and did not include amendments to restrict abortion access or transgender healthcare for military personnel. This has resulted in drastically different bills, making it challenging for both chambers to reach a bipartisan final agreement.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized House Republicans for pushing partisan legislation that has no chance of passing. House Republican leaders have included provisions in their bill that would shutter the Pentagon’s diversity training offices, end military health coverage for gender transition treatments, and block travel reimbursement for service members seeking abortions out of state.
Democrats have made it clear that they will not support these measures. Senate Democrats believe they will be able to protect the Pentagon’s abortion access policy during negotiations with the House.
While the Senate bill does not address abortion and transgender services, it includes provisions to address Republicans’ concerns about liberal policies in the Pentagon. These provisions would prohibit the requirement of preferred pronouns on official correspondence and impose salary caps and a hiring freeze on positions dedicated to promoting equity and inclusion.
The Biden administration has expressed concerns about these provisions, stating they would undermine efforts to promote a diverse workforce. The White House has indicated that President Biden would veto the House bill.
Republicans’ main objection to the Senate bill is that it does not allocate enough funding. They believe that a 3 to 5 percent annual increase in funding above inflation is necessary to meet the challenges outlined in the national defense strategy. Several Republican senators blocked efforts to include language approving the transfer of nuclear submarines to Australia. They are pressuring the Biden administration to allocate more funding for submarine production in the United States.
Republicans also lost a bid to create a special inspector general to scrutinize American aid to Ukraine, as the Senate bill extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Additionally, a proposal to reinstate service members discharged for failing to comply with the Pentagon’s coronavirus vaccine mandate was rejected by the Senate.
The Senate did pass measures to increase U.S. production of low-enriched uranium, ban strategic petroleum reserve sales to certain countries, and stipulate that no president can withdraw from NATO without the approval of two-thirds of the Senate or an act of Congress. The bill also includes healthcare-related measures to treat Sept. 11 emergency response workers and expand a national cancer registry for firefighters.
Earlier in the week, the Senate endorsed measures to counter Beijing’s economic rise and espionage activities, including banning the sale of farmland to certain countries and requiring disclosure of investments in China’s national security industries. The bill also focuses on combating fentanyl trafficking and improving the Pentagon’s use of artificial intelligence.