World
US Senate passes defence policy bill with 5.2% pay raise for troops, biggest boost in 20 years
[ad_1]
WASHINGTON: The US Senate passed a defence policy bill on Wednesday that authorizes the biggest pay raise for troops in more than two decades, but also leaves behind many of the policy priorities that social conservatives were clamouring for, making for an unusually divisive debate over what is traditionally a strongly bipartisan effort.
Lawmakers have been negotiating a final bill for months after each chamber passed strikingly different versions in July.Some of the priorities championed by social conservatives were a no-go for Democrats, so negotiators dropped them from the final product to get it over the finish line.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 87-13 It now heads to the House, where opponents have been more vocal about their concerns.
Most notably, the bill does not include language blocking the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy and restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and dependents. Republicans prevailed, however, in winning some concessions on diversity and inclusion training in the military. For example, the bill freezes hiring for such training until a full accounting of the programming and costs is completed and reported to Congress.
The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. Lawmakers were keen to emphasize how the bill calls for a 5.2% boost in service member pay, the biggest increase in more than 20 years. The bill authorizes $886 billion for national defense programmes for the current fiscal year that began October 1, about 3% more than the prior year.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N Y, said the bill would ensure “America’s military remains state of the art at all times all around the world.”
The bill also includes a short-term extension of a surveillance programme aimed at preventing terrorism and catching spies. But the programme has detractors on both sides of the political aisle who view it as a threat to the privacy of ordinary Americans.
Lawmakers have been negotiating a final bill for months after each chamber passed strikingly different versions in July.Some of the priorities championed by social conservatives were a no-go for Democrats, so negotiators dropped them from the final product to get it over the finish line.
The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 87-13 It now heads to the House, where opponents have been more vocal about their concerns.
Most notably, the bill does not include language blocking the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy and restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and dependents. Republicans prevailed, however, in winning some concessions on diversity and inclusion training in the military. For example, the bill freezes hiring for such training until a full accounting of the programming and costs is completed and reported to Congress.
The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. Lawmakers were keen to emphasize how the bill calls for a 5.2% boost in service member pay, the biggest increase in more than 20 years. The bill authorizes $886 billion for national defense programmes for the current fiscal year that began October 1, about 3% more than the prior year.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N Y, said the bill would ensure “America’s military remains state of the art at all times all around the world.”
The bill also includes a short-term extension of a surveillance programme aimed at preventing terrorism and catching spies. But the programme has detractors on both sides of the political aisle who view it as a threat to the privacy of ordinary Americans.
#Senate #passes #defence #policy #bill #pay #raise #troops #biggest #boost #years
