Congress gears up to pass $900 billion defense policy bill

WASHINGTON The House is expected to take up bill this week that would authorize about billion for the military providing an increase over the White House s annual budget request The bicameral version of the bill disclosed Sunday includes billion more than what the Trump administration had requested and what the House allotted in a version of the bill that it passed earlier this year The additional funding in the measure marked a modest but rare divergence for Republican lawmakers from President Donald Trump after a year of largely ceding authority as he made dramatic cuts to the establishment Both chambers are racing to pass the annual defense plan bill before the end of the year and deliver it to the president s desk One overarching goal of the bill which authorizes spending for the fiscal year is to streamline how the Defense Department meets its necessities through research contracting and manufacturing The bill would authorize an overhaul of how the department buys weapons It also seeks to shore up the architecture of citizens and private organizations that provide a range of materials products and services to the military Rep Mike Rogers R-Ala the House Armed Services Committee chair noted in a announcement that the measure was focused on building out critical warfighting capabilities I m eager to send this to President Trump s desk so we can give our military the tools they need to remain the bulk ready capable and lethal force in the world he added Troops across the military will receive a annual pay raise under the bill The rule also seeks to codify more than a dozen of Trump s executive orders including those aimed at accelerating U S manufacturing of military drones transforming the country s air and missile defense system into a Golden Dome to intercept foreign attacks and authorizing the use of active-duty troops to patrol the southern perimeter The final bill includes various House Republican provisions about gender in the military that echo the Trump administration s efforts to end woke ideology including a ban on transgender women participating in women s athletic programs at U S arrangement academies The bill however does not rename the Defense Department the Department of War as Trump and his defense secretary have called it Instead the statute sticks with the already codified Department of Defense and secretary of defense throughout the roughly -page bill The act would also roll back Biden-era setting policies including by restricting the Defense Department s use of electric or hybrid vehicles Aid for Ukraine is included in the bill with a reauthorization of million in precaution assistance annually through the fiscal year for the country as it faces a worsening position in its war with Russia Negotiators also included in the final text new guardrails on U S investments in certain system in China The language is a bipartisan attempt to stem the flow of American capital into China s advance of among other sectors artificial intelligence and military tech The bill would also repeal authorizations for the use of military force from and There was strong bipartisan assistance to eliminate the Iraq and Persian Gulf War-era authorizations that presidents for decades in both parties have used to justify overseas military operations A permanent repeal of U S sanctions on Syria is also included in the latest version of the bill building on attempts Trump has taken Lawmakers say the repeal is necessary if Syria is going to recover from the civil war that ravaged the country for more than a decade Both the House and Senate versions of the bill that passed earlier this year would have approved expanding wellness insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for arrangement members and their family members The provision was removed by Speaker Mike Johnson at the eleventh hour last year but its sponsors had hoped that Trump s pledge to improve access to IVF would pressure Republicans to help the proposal this year The Defense Department only covers fertility therapy for those who can prove a difficulty in becoming pregnant is because of a serious or severe illness or injury while on developing duty leaving those who cannot to pay out of pocket for the expensive procedure His office announced in a declaration that Johnson has clearly and repeatedly stated he is supportive of access to IVF when sufficient pro-life protections are in place Rep Sara Jacobs D-Calif one of the sponsors of the IVF proposal reported in a message that Johnson had put his personal beliefs over the requirements of amenity members and that she was disappointed that the president had failed to do anything to change the speaker s position This article originally appeared in The New York Times Related Articles Thailand launches airstrikes along margin with Cambodia as tensions reignite Trump wants Venezuela s leader to go Here s who could replace him GOP-led states settle lawsuit against federal regime over checking citizenship 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