US Senate approves $895B defense spending package, sends bill to Biden

​​​​​​​By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Senate approved a massive $895.2 billion defense spending package Wednesday despite opposition from many Democrats on a provision prohibiting the military’s health care system from providing treatments to transgender children of service members.

The bill was approved 85-14, demonstrating a highly unusual partisan divide on the annual legislation that typically receives overwhelming support from both parties.

"Today, for the 64th consecutive year, the Senate passes a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to protect the American people and strengthen our security," Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor ahead of the vote.

"The NDAA is not perfect, but it still makes several important advances Democrats fought for to secure America’s national defense and take a strong stand against the Chinese Communist Party,” he added.

The legislation cleared the House of Representatives last Wednesday. It will now head to President Joe Biden's desk to be passed into law.

Many Democrats in both chambers voted in opposition due to an amendment added at the last minute by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that prohibits the military's health care system, known as Tricare, from providing treatment to transgender children of US service members.

The 2025 fiscal year NDAA sets spending at about 1% above 2024 levels, or $9 billion more, even as the Pentagon failed a seventh consecutive congressionally-mandated audit. The Defense Department has seen just incremental yearly improvements in its audits, which it has carried out since 2018.

The spending bill includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% pay increase for all other troops. It includes billions of dollars in funding to help the US counter China, including $15.6 billion to fund the Pacific Deterrence Initiative -- a military effort to strengthen deterrence against Beijing in the region.