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Biden Approves $886 Billion US Defense Policy

Biden Approves $886 Billion US Defense Policy, Transatlantic Today
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USA (Washington Insider Magazine)—On Friday, President Joe Biden approved the U.S. defense policy bill that allows a record $886 billion in annual military spending and policies. It also includes aid for Ukraine and containing China in the Indo-Pacific.

The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, was signed into law in Congress last week. The U.S. Senate, with a majority Democratic-controlled, authorized the legislation with a solid majority of 87 to 13, while the House of Representatives voted in favor 310 to 118. The measure also drops controversial provisions on abortion and expands controversial federal spying powers. These were both developments that saw opposition among Republicans on Capitol Hill.

“While I am pleased to support the critical objectives of the NDAA, I note that certain provisions of the Act raise concerns,” Biden expressed in a statement released by the White House on Friday.

Biden reiterated prior concerns about blocking funds to transfer Guantanamo Bay prisoners into the custody of particular foreign governments. Biden also reiterated his concerns about specific conditions in the NDAA that could potentially display “compassionate classified information” to Congress.

“Certain provisions of the Act … require the President and other officials to submit reports and plans to committees of the Congress that will, in the ordinary course, include compassionate classified information, including information that could reveal critical intelligence sources or military operational plans or could implicate executive branch confidentiality interests,” Biden said.

This bill is considered one of the few significant pieces of legislation Congress approves annually. It handles everything from pay raises for service members and acquisitions of ships and aircraft to policies. It also includes foreign assistance, such as support for foreign partners like Taiwan.

The act has nearly 3,100 pages land called for a 5.2% pay raise for service members. It also increased the nation’s national security budget by about 3% to $886 billion. It also details Chinese battery companies that cannot deal with Defense Department procurement.

The fiscal 2024 NDAA also includes a four-month extension of a debated domestic surveillance authority. It gives lawmakers more time to improve or keep the program. It is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That provision faced disapproval in the Senate and House but was insufficient to derail the bill.

The bill expands one measure to help Ukraine, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, through the end of 2026. It approved $300 million for the program in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024, and the next one. However, that figure is little compared to the $61 billion Biden’s proposed bill. He had asked Congress to support Kyiv’s fight a Russian invasion that started in February 2022. 

Republicans had declined to approve aid for Ukraine without Democrats compromising to a notable toughening of immigration law. Granting for a separate $105 billion national security package that would deliver more aid to Israel and Ukraine continues to be a point of argument in Congress. Senate Republicans are demanding that more foreign aid be paired with significant border security policy changes. While there have been talks to find agreement, no bipartisan deal has been reached.

Moreover, The legislation summarizes the policy agenda for the Department of Defense and the US military and permits spending aligned with the Pentagon’s preferences. But it does not claim the funding itself. The bill’s final version contains multiple measures aimed at “ending wokeness in the military,” according to a Republican-led House Armed Services Committee summary.

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