The House Armed Services Committee approved its fiscal year 2024 defense authorization bill Wednesday night by a nearly unanimous vote. Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and ranking Democrat Adam Smith (Wash.) praised the final product.

The committee easily signed off on the subcommittees’ portions of the legislation before getting into some more contentious items.

A few Democrats sided with Republicans to protect former service members who were discharged over DOD’s now-repealed COVID-19 vaccine mandate, as Military.com reported. Service members discharged for refusing the vaccine could be reinstated at their previous rank without affecting future career advancement if the bill becomes law.

An amendment from Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) would have stopped the Air Force from spending any money on Space Command headquarters until the service decides if SPACECOM will be based in Colorado, Alabama or another state – which has been in question since the final days of the Trump administration. After pushback from Rogers and his Alabama colleagues, the amendment was withdrawn.

The NDAA is likely to be considered into late summer or early fall. Follow On Base’s NDAA coverage as we continue to dig into what’s in the House, Senate and eventual conference legislation.

DOD photo by Air Force TSgt. Jack Sanders