Senate approves record $858 billion Pentagon budget

U.S. senators passed a bill Thursday night that provides a record $858 billion in annual defense spending, $45 billion more than President Joe Biden proposed. The bill also eliminates mandatory COVID vaccinations for U.S. troops.

Senators supported the Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Pentagon’s annual approved annual budget, by an overwhelming majority of votes from both parties (83 votes to 11).

Voting against passage were liberals, who object to an ever-growing military budget, and fiscal conservatives, who want tighter spending controls.

Since the House of Representatives already passed the exact same bill last week, the NDAA has been sent to the White House, where President Joe Biden is expected to sign it immediately.

For fiscal year 2023, the NDAA calls for $858 billion in military spending and includes a 4.6 percent increase in military pay, funding for weapons, ship and aircraft purchases, and support for Taiwan amid a growing threat from China and Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion.

Congress has approved the NDAA every year since 1961.

“This is the most important bill we pass every year,” said Sen. James Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. This year, the NDAA is named for Inhofe, who is leaving the Senate.

Because it is one of the few major bills that always passes regardless of bipartisan disagreement, lawmakers use the NDAA as a vehicle for a variety of initiatives.

The current bill, which passed after months of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, includes a provision that would allow Supreme Court justices and federal judges to hide their personal information from Internet viewing.

The NDAA for fiscal year 2023 includes a provision that many Republicans have pushed for and many Democrats have opposed, requiring the Secretary of Defense to repeal the mandate requiring all military personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

An attempt to amend the bill to pay arrears in wages and return servicemembers who refused the vaccine failed.

The bill gives Ukraine at least $800 million in additional security aid next year and includes several provisions to bolster Taiwan’s defense amid rising tensions with China, including billions of dollars in security assistance and accelerated weapons purchases for Taiwan.

The bill would provide additional funds to develop hypersonic weapons, close the Red Hill fuel depot in Hawaii and purchase weapons systems, including F-35 fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation and ships manufactured by General Dynamics.

The NDAA is not the final word on spending. Congress must pass appropriate appropriations bills to give the government the legal authority to spend federal money.

The bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, 2023, the end of the current fiscal year, is expected to pass Congress next week.