President Biden is expected to sign the NDAA into law as soon as tomorrow, which would finalize the legislative process.
The NDAA includes tens of billions of dollars for ships, aircraft and Pentagon programs and policies and gives troops a 5.2 percent pay raise, the largest in 20 years.
Congress also included $11.5 billion to bolster U.S. posture in the Indo-Pacific region for China deterrence and $800 million for Ukraine.
“Passing the NDAA enables us to hold the line against Russia, stand firm against the Chinese Communist Party and ensure that America’s defenses remain state-of-the-art,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
But the defense bill faced serious resistance from far-right lawmakers in the House and even some senators.
A major concern was including a provision to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the U.S. to spy on foreigners abroad — but the surveillance can sweep up Americans by extension.
“The NDAA is a bad bill, attaching it to FISA makes it that much worse,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.).
In the House, more conservative lawmakers also fought against the bill because the legislation stripped out several contentious policy amendments on the culture wars in America.
Left out of the bill was a ban on the Pentagon’s abortion policy and a prohibition of the Defense Department to fund gender-affirming care.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) blasted the bill for leaving out GOP priorities to strip the Pentagon of “social engineering,” but others signaled it provided major support for America’s troops.
“We must prioritize and project American strength across the globe,” said Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.). “This legislation goes a long way in achieving that goal.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
