The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday authorizing a record $858 billion in annual defense spending, $45 billion more than proposed by President Joe Biden, and rescinding the military's COVID vaccine mandate.
Senators supported the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual must-pass bill setting policy for the Pentagon, by an overwhelming 83-11 bipartisan majority.
The no votes came from a mix of liberals who object to the ever-rising military budget and fiscal conservatives who want tighter controls on spending. With the House of Representatives having passed the measure last week, the NDAA next heads to the White House, where Biden is expected to quickly sign it into law.
The fiscal 2023 NDAA authorizes $858 billion in military spending and includes a 4.6% pay increase for the troops, funding for purchases of weapons, ships and aircraft, and support for Taiwan as it faces aggression from China and for Ukraine as it fights an invasion by Russia."This is the most important bill we do every year," said Senator James Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a statement.
This year's measure, which came after months of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, includes the State Department auth orization and legislation that would allow U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges toThe fiscal 2023 NDAA includes a provision demanded by many Republicans - and opposed by many Democrats - requiring the secretary of defense to rescind a mandate requiring that members of the armed forces be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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