The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been passed by Congress, which includes provisions that have sparked controversy among lawmakers and veterans’ groups.
One provision that has drawn criticism is a ban on health insurance coverage for transgender medical treatments for children of military personnel. The bill was negotiated in a bipartisan way, but Democrats were not told how to vote on the issue.
“This is disappointing to see 124 of my Democrat colleagues vote against our brave men and women in uniform over policies that have nothing to do with their intended mission,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The ban has been criticized by veterans’ groups, who argue that it could lead to a loss of experienced personnel due to the lack of health insurance coverage for transgender medical treatments. Branden Marty, a Navy veteran who served for 13 years, said the bill could regularly force service members into difficult choices financially.
“It will be tough for a lot of them because of out-of-pocket expenses, especially enlisted members who we know already struggle with food insecurity,” he said. “They dont get paid very much, so theyre going to be making a lot of choices on a day-to-day, tactical level.”
The defense policy bill also includes provisions that strengthen deterrence against China and expand U.S. joint military exercises with Israel.
It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration had requested about $10 billion.
On Israel, the bill includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on citing casualty data from Hamas by the Pentagon.
The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January.
Overall, 81 Democrats ended up voting for the bill and 124 against it. On the Republican side, 200 voted for the bill and 16 against.