The House late last week sent a negotiated version of the National Defense Authorization Act to the Senate, where it could come up for debate this week.
It will be the first time this year the full Senate has considered a defense authorization bill. The bipartisan, Senate Armed Services Committee-passed version never made it to the floor but was considered in shaping the House-Senate compromise.
There is widespread hope the NDAA will get through the Senate and earn the President’s signature for the 62nd year in a row, but there are still some issues that could hold up procedural votes, CQ reported.
For example, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) say they have at least two GOP colleagues who will join them to block a procedural vote so they can bring up an amendment to reinstate troops discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
The House-passed compromise bill would rescind DOD’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate but wouldn’t instruct the Pentagon to reinstate discharged deniers.
The authorization bill calls for $858 billion for defense, which seems to be the same level appropriations negotiators are considering. It would call for the biggest pay raise for active duty service members in 20 years, as Military.com reported.
Army photo by Staff Sgt. David N. Beckstrom
