Senate poised to pass giant defense bill with bipartisan support

The Senate on Tuesday is expected to begin voting on the $886 billion annual defense bill, one of the last must-pass measures of the year. The compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act is expected to pass with bipartisan support before senators send it to the House for a vote before Congress begins its holiday recess.

As in past years, the annual bill not only sets spending targets but includes dozens of policy riders that can spark fierce partisan battles. Conservatives have complained that House effort to roll back changes in Defense Department policy accommodating servicewomen who seek an abortion has been dropped from the bipartisan bill.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said passing the NDAA is one of the Senate’s top priorities before the end of the year.

“We must pass the annual National Defense Authorization Bill, which has been one of the most bipartisan priorities in Congress for over 60 years,” Mr. Schumer said Monday from the Senate floor. “This will be our focus on the floor this week.”

The upcoming NDAA includes a 5.2% pay raise, which will begin in January. It will mark the biggest raise for military personnel in over two decades. The Defense Department hopes that more money for the troops will help its recruiting effort, which has faced challenges not seen since the end of the draft 50 years ago. The Army ended fiscal 2023 with about 55,000 recruits — 10,000 fewer than its aim.

“At a time of huge trouble for global security, passing the defense authorization bill is more important than ever,” Mr. Schumer said.

Mr. Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, are facing opposition from some GOP lawmakers, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who vowed to oppose the final bill and slow down its passage after a provision compensating Americans poisoned as a result of the nation’s atomic program, including uranium mine workers and those living downwind from nuclear tests, was dropped from the final text.

Mr. Hawley said move amounted to a “grave injustice.”

“This (NDAA) turns its back on the people of the United States in defense of the lobbyists and the suits and the corporate entities who are going to get paid,” he said.

But conservatives scored a win on another front with a provision that directs the Pentagon to consider reinstating U.S. troops who were forced out of the service after they refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine during the height of the global pandemic. Another provision in the NDAA aims to scale back the Defense Department’s spending and focus on critical race theory and diversity issues, part of a campaign by congressional Republicans against what they say are “woke” policies by the Biden administration that undercut military readiness and effectiveness.

Supporters of the NDAA say it will help the U.S. contend with China’s growing military strength, particularly by approving the trilateral U.S., U.K. and Australian nuclear submarine agreement, known as AUKUS.

“We’ve been working on AUKUS all year. It’s one of the most important tools we have against the Chinese government,” Mr. Schumer said. “It’s a major accomplishment to get it done.”