Senate passes $895 billion defense bill despite Democrats’ outrage over trans care ban for children

The Senate gave the green signal in the Pentagon’s massive $895 billion annual budget on Wednesday — despite controversy over provisions restricting the use of those funds. Provide transgender surgery on childrenWhich shook the Democrats.

In an 85-14 vote, the Senate passed the 1,800-page National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was approved by the House of Representatives last week and now only needs President Biden’s signature.

Each new fiscal year, which begins on October 1, Congress is tasked with authorizing defense spending and passing the NDAA to specify expenditures. This year’s bill, which has been delayed by two months, is about 1% higher than last year’s budget.

It also features a 4.5% pay increase for service members across the board beginning in 2025.

While the NDAA historically enjoys bipartisan support, Republicans managed to finalize the provision on transgenderism, which has angered Democrats.

Specifically, the NDAA prevents Tricare, the military’s health care service, from paying the bill for so-called “gender change” coverage related to service members’ children under the age of 18.

Twenty-one Senate Democrats, led by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who is set to be the only lesbian in the upper chamber next year, campaigned against the provision.

Baldwin claimed the transgender policy could impact approximately 6,000 to 7,000 children of service members.

According to an estimate by the Modern Military Association of America, there are approximately 10,000 transgender youth ages 6 to 22 who have a parent active in the military.

After the 2024 election, many Democrats privately felt that Republicans successfully bullied them on transgender issues, sparking divisions within the party about how to respond.

In addition to the transgender provisions, the NDAA also aims to improve conditions for service members, including a 14.5% pay raise for junior troops to boost recruiting efforts.

An amendment to the bill authored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) would also authorize the DOD to protect the border from drones — a threat on the minds of many Americans with recent incursions of unidentified aircraft into New Jersey and New York. which shares a border with Canada.

“Murderous drug cartels and foreign adversaries have taken advantage of the last administration’s lawlessness to fly uncontrolled drones into U.S. airspace,” Ernst said in a statement.

“Border security is national security, and Americans deserve real measures to protect them from the growing threat.”

The measure enables the use of the National Guard to support efforts to stem the flow of illegal immigrants at the US-Mexico border.

Another provision in the NDAA is to place a hold on roles related to diversity equity and inclusion until the Department of Defense is able to complete investigations on DEI programs.

The NDAA also prohibits commercial contracts between the Pentagon and contractors that use advertising firms that target conservative-leaning outlets.

GOP lawmakers also fought for other policies that ultimately didn’t make it into the bill, including a ban on mask mandates to prevent viral infections, a blanket ban on transgender coverage for adults and a ban on the Pentagon reimbursing travel costs for women. Was involved. Abortion.

Meanwhile, Democrats expanded in vitro fertilization coverage for members. At the moment, the Pentagon only covers IVF for service members with infertility issues linked to injuries sustained during service.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has claimed that the NDAA has saved approximately $31 billion by targeting “inefficient programs, obsolete weapons and a bloated Pentagon bureaucracy.”

Congress faces a Friday deadline to prevent a lapse in government funding and prevent a shutdown, as it has still not appropriated funds to the government for the current fiscal year, which began two months ago.