Senate passes defense bill that will raise troop pay

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a defense bill Wednesday that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China’s growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion while also stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members. AP AUDIO: Senate passes defense bill that will raise troop pay and aims to counter China’s power In remarks, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Senate will continue its tradition of passing the defense spending bill. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a floor speech this week that without the topline increase “major bill provisions like a pay raise for enlisted servicemembers will come at the expense of investments in the critical weapons systems and munitions that deter conflict and keep them safe.” The legislation provides for a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others. The bill also still prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in “sterilization.” Mike Zamore, the director of policy and government affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union, urged Biden to veto the bill, saying it was “forcing thousands of active-duty service members to choose between their careers in the military and the future of their transgender children.” In a floor speech, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said she has always voted for the NDAA, but would not do so this year.