Biden Signs Massive $770 Billion Defense Bill Into Law
President Joe Biden on Monday signed the $770 billion National Defense Authorization Act into law. The price tag is $25 billion more than what Biden had sought.
"The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country's national defense," Biden said in a statement.
The bill comes as the U.S. faces threats from Russia and China. Biden was expected to sign the bill after the Senate and House had voted overwhelmingly for it earlier in December.
The bill will increase defense spending by 5%, overhaul the military justice system when prosecuting crimes like rape and murder and give a 2.7% pay increase to military personnel.
Defense spending has increased nearly every year since 1960. The U.S. spends more money on its military than the next 11 countries combined, with the majority of those nations being allied with the U.S., according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
Some lawmakers criticized the bill for not going far enough to address sexual assault and harassment in the military. It will create a third-party “special trial counsel” to handle sex crimes, murder and kidnapping.
Politico noted that the bill only authorizes spending and does not allocate any money. The legislation will provide the Ukrainian military with $300 million in aid and provides $740 billion for the Department of Defense.
It also includes $27.8 billion for defense-related activities in the Department of Energy and another $378 million for defense-related activities, $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative and $150 million for Baltic security cooperation. The bill also creates a 16-member commission studying the Afghanistan war, and authorizes more aircraft and Navy ship purchases.
Key provisions failing to make the final bill were a proposal requiring women to register for the military draft and a repeal of the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force in Iraq.
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