$778 Billion authorization act gets bipartisan approval.
Legislators from both parties in the Senate passed a $778 billion national defense spending bill in an overwhelming 89-10 vote, moving the bill to the president’s desk for signature. Roughly $740 billion will provide funding for the Pentagon, including a $25 billion boost to President Biden’s initial defense budget request from earlier in the year. Another $28 billion will be set aside for nuclear weapons programs.
The bill also includes a fund of more than $7 billion to counter China by bolstering the “US against China for the Pacific Defense Initiative” and directs the president to establish a “grand strategy” to counter Chinese threats.
Members of the armed forces will see a 2.7 percent pay raise. Active-duty members who refuse to get the coronavirus vaccine will no longer be subject to a dishonorable discharge. Military commanders will no longer have the power to prosecute sexual offenses, but independent military lawyers will prosecute those cases. Additionally, the legislation makes sexual harassment a crime in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The president is expected to sign the National Defense Authorization Act.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the Pentagon and the varied services to use the funds appropriately for national defense.
- For President Biden and those advising him as they work on a “grand strategy” to counter threats from China.
- For members of Congress as they deliberate the president’s Build Back Better legislation.
Sources: New York Times, The Hill, CNN, Fox News
