Senate approves sweeping defense bill
By Jordain Carney and Jordan Williams - 12/15/21 12:24 PM EST
The Senate on Wednesday passed a sweeping defense policy bill on an 88-11 vote, ending a weeks-long standoff that had stalled work on the legislation.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets spending top lines and policy for the Pentagon, passed the House last week and now goes to President Biden’s desk, where he’s expected to sign it.
“For the past six years, Congress worked on a bipartisan basis to pass an annual defense authorization act without fail. ... With so many priorities to balance, I thank my colleagues for working hard over these last few months, both in committee and off the floor, to get NDAA done,” Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.
The initial vote on the measure was 89-10, but in an unusual move Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) came back to the Senate floor to ask to switch his vote from "yes" to "no."
The $768.2 billion bill provides $740 billion for the Department of Defense. Both chambers agreed to add $25 billion more than what President Biden requested for fiscal 2022 for the defense budget.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/585920-senate-approves-sweeping-defense-bill
