The Senate passed the massive $886 billion annual defense authorization bill that includes a pay raise for U.S. troops and a short-term extension of the FBI’s controversial surveillance tool.
The vote was 87-13 and includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for U.S. troops and require the Pentagon to inform service members who were fired for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine that they can be reinstated.
It also contains $800 million in additional funds for Ukraine and $11.5 billion to deter the rising threat from China.
The House is now expected to take up and pass the legislation as soon as Thursday.
The legislation also contains a four-month extension of the FBI’s controversial surveillance tool, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire at the end of the year. Lawmakers are working through a set of fixes to the law – that allows the U.S. to surveil foreigners in an attempt to thwart terrorists – before renewing it since there have been a number of abuses.
Additionally, the bill includes an amendment by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, that will prohibit Pentagon from using taxpayer dollars to fund Wuhan lab virus experiments after over $39 billion was previously funneled to EcoHealth Alliance.
The passage comes as the Senate remains divided over whether to approve a massive spending request for over $61 billion to Ukraine
Republicans are demanding that major border security measures are included in any such package
Ernst also included a provision to ensure that the Department of Defense utilizes already-purchased materials for a southern border wall. The materials will have to be used, transferred or donated to ports of entry, which the senator tells DailyMail.com will ‘stop the illicit human and vehicle trafficking along the border.’
The bill also contains Republican-led measures to combat ‘woke’ issues within the U.S. military, including the teaching of critical race theory.
But it does not block the Pentagon’s current policy allowing troops to be reimbursed for travel expenses to obtain abortions, an issue that Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., held up over 400 military promotions over.
The passage comes as the Senate remains divided over whether to approve a massive separate spending request for over $61 billion to Ukraine and additional aid to Israel and Taiwan. Republicans are demanding that major border security measures are included in any such package.
President Biden has signaled that he is open to working with Republicans on border security in order to get the critical assistance to Ukraine and other allies of the U.S.
Reports this week revealed the Biden administration is in talks with negotiators in Congress to dramatically expand detentions and deportations at the border, as well as essentially revive pandemic-era Title 42 policies by expelling migrants without hearing asylum claims.
In exchange, Republicans would get on board with Biden’s proposal. But it remains to be seen if the lawmakers can get on the same page before the Christmas recess.
Last week, Republican senators blocked President Biden’s request for $110 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as the GOP demands stricter southern border security measures be included.
The package included $61 billion to Ukraine in addition to assistance to Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas terrorists, humanitarian aid to Gaza and funds to support U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, told DailyMail.com last week that there are ongoing ‘political discussions’ on how to move a security package forward.
He said that although ‘each side’ has different priorities, border issues are ‘top of the list’ for Republicans.
The senator said aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan is important to move forward and ‘we want to get it done,’ but ‘we need to first and foremost be concerned on our southern border.’
‘The reason the whole package hasn’t passed is we have not come to an agreement on that part of the package,’ he explained.
‘It is of the highest priority for us, our border, our national security, our constituents.’
He continued: ‘nobody ever said the democratic process was easy or smooth or pretty. But we’ll get through this.’