The bill was passed by 85 votes to 14. It now goes to the desk of President Biden for his signature.

The Senate passed the $895 billion defense policy bill, which includes a pay increase for U.S. military personnel and a restriction on transgender health care.

The bill was passed by 85 votes to 14. It now goes to the desk of President Biden for his signature.

In the Senate, the bill was passed with a greater bipartisan support than in the House where more Democrats opposed the bill in protest at the transgender provisions.

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The bill prohibits Tricare, the military health insurance provider, from paying for transgender treatment “that could lead to sterilization” of children under 18

The House passed the bill last week by a margin of 281 to 140, with 16 Republicans voting against it. Only 81 Democrats supported the bill – and 124 voted against it – which is a larger margin than previous years when bipartisan support was more common.

The bill, which is 1,800 pages long, outlines how $895.2 billion allocated for defense and national safety will be spent. The bill will be voted upon more than two month after the beginning of the fiscal.

The $895.2-billion budget represents a 1% rise over the last year’s, which is less than some defense hawks had hoped.

Moreover, the National Defense Authorization Act outlines the policy but a separate bill of spending will fund the programs that it lays down. This spending legislation will be considered in the next Congress when Republicans have a slim majority in both chambers.

A large portion of the bill focused on improving the quality of life for servicemembers in the face of record recruitment, which has been the subject of bipartisan debate over the past year. This includes a pay increase of 14.5% for junior enlisted members and increased access to child-care for servicemembers, while also providing support for military spouses.

The measure allows for a pay increase of 4.5% for all military personnel starting on January 1, and a 2.5% raise for civilians within the Department of Defense.

The bill also imposes more restrictions on Chinese drones for fear that they could be used in the U.S. to spy on foreigners. The law specifically targets DJI and Autel Robotoics, both based in China.

In accordance with the NDAA, a national agency is required to determine within a year if DJI or Autel Robotics drones pose unacceptable risks to national security. The Federal Communications Commission will automatically add the companies to its “covered list” if the agency does not complete the study.

DJI is a leading drone manufacturer in the United States, selling more than half of commercial drones sold there.

The bill calls for a $20-million increase in the budget for Advanced Development of counter-unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). It also requires that the Defense Secretary establish a C-UAS taskforce within 30 days, and submit a report on the latest military counter-drone-training efforts to the congressional defense committees within four months.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) led a group consisting of 21 Democratic Senators in demanding that the NDAA be amended to remove restrictions on transgender health care. This amendment was not accepted because it would have sent the bill back to Congress. The Congressional leaders met for months to try and reach an agreement with the chambers on the annual must-pass legislation.

Baldwin stated in a press release that “we’re talking to parents who serve our country in uniform and have earned the rights to make the best decision for their family.” “I trust that our servicemembers, their doctors and not politicians will make the best decisions about their children’s health care.”

Baldwin said that the amendment would affect the care of 7,000 children. She added that she would have supported the NDAA if it were not for this provision.

Other Democrats also voiced objections to this provision. However, the bill contains provisions that will strengthen U.S. defences against China, increase pay for servicemembers and invest in new technologies.

“Of Course, the NDAA Is Not Perfect.” It’s not perfect for either side… but you do need bipartisanship in order to finish this,” said Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, D.Y.

Jack Reed, D.R.I.’s chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee told reporters that he shared his colleagues’ frustration with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s “extreme and misguided provision.” However, he added, during the negotiations, Democrats were able “to strip out the vast majority of extremely far-right provisions” in the House Bill.

The bill did not include provisions like a blanket prohibition on funding gender transition surgeries in adults. The bill also did not ban the use of masks as a way to stop diseases from spreading.

The bill also encourages the deployment of the National Guard along the southern border in order to assist with the apprehension of illegal immigrants and the drug flow.

A second provision allows airmen and Space Force staff to grow facial hair. The bill directs the secretary to the Air Force, to inform lawmakers of “the feasibility and the advisability of setting up a pilot program” to test the idea of beards.

Democrats are also disappointed that the bill does not include a clause expanding access to IVF among servicemembers. Military health insurance covers IVF only for those servicemembers who are infertile due to a service-related injury or illness.

The bill, however, did not include a change to rescind a provision that allowed the Pentagon to reimburse military personnel who had to travel outside of the state to obtain an abortion.

The bill extends the hiring freeze for DEI-related positions and stops recruitment of such roles until “an examination of the Pentagon’s DEI program” is completed.

Johnson, on the other hand, touted 31 billion dollars in savings that would be realized by cutting “inefficient program, obsolete weapons, as well as bloated Pentagon bureaucracy.”