NEW JERSEY — A massive, $895 billion U.S. military spending bill has passed a vote in the Senate, although it got “no” votes from Cory Booker and Andy Kim in New Jersey.
The U.S. Senate voted 85-14 to pass its version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday. The bill got “yes” votes from half of New Jersey’s House members last week. It now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden.
Congress rolls out a new NDAA bill each year to establish defense priorities, make organizational shifts to military posture, and provide direction on how military funding can be spent. The legislation typically sees several changes and amendments before a final version is agreed upon by the Senate and House of Representatives. Separate appropriations bills with matching dollar figures must also be passed for the increases to become a reality.
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The House and Senate have greenlighted the bill every year for more than six consecutive decades.
Since it is considered a “must-pass” bill, the NDAA has become a popular venue to attach riders and amendments, not all of which are directly related to national defense.
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This year’s bill included particularly controversial language that restricts “gender-affirming” medical care for transgender children of military members. The rider has seen vocal pushback from many Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey.
On Tuesday, Kim delivered remarks on the Senator Floor calling for the removal of the controversial Section 708 from the NDAA, saying that the “politically-driven and hyper-partisan” provision will deny crucial health care for military families.
Watch video footage of the senator’s remarks here.
“This kind of action undermines trust in negotiations and sets a dangerous precedent for what is widely considered the last true space of traditional bipartisan legislation,” Kim said, calling the provision “dangerous.”
“Let’s be clear – Section 708 would harm those who serve by denying healthcare for military families,” New Jersey’s newest U.S. senator continued. “By banning TRICARE from covering gender affirming care for minors, we are standing in the way of military families and the healthcare their doctors have prescribed. We are putting politics into a bill where it simply does not belong.”
“We shouldn’t play politics with our national security,” Kim continued. “We shouldn’t target transgender youth and further spread fear into a community that has seen so much hate directed towards it.”
“We should pass an NDAA that supports our servicemembers and their families – all of them,” he urged. “Without politics or prejudice.”
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MILITARY SPENDING
There have been both cheers and jeers for the current levels of military spending from New Jersey lawmakers.
Some say that a well-funded NDAA strengthens national security, supports servicemembers and creates jobs. But critics question whether the nation’s rising military budget is a good use of taxpayer money at a time when every penny counts.
Among other expenses, this year’s bill authorizes $850 billion for the base Pentagon budget and another $33.5 billion for nuclear weapons programs under the Energy Department.
The bill includes a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5 increase for other military members. It authorizes $143.8 billion in research, development, test, and evaluation to meet “immediate and projected force protection challenges,” $17.5 billion for science and technology programs, $33.5 billion in shipbuilding funding and for the procurement of seven battle force ships.
The bill also includes several provisions aimed at improving the U.S. military’s response to potential drone threats at its installations.
Read the joint explanatory statement for the 2025 NDAA here.
After tallying his “no” vote last year, the same as this year, Booker opined that “there is a better way to support our troops and protect our national security than continuing a pattern of annually increasing the Pentagon’s budget beyond what the Department of Defense requests.”
“In addition, I remain concerned about the disconnect between unchecked military spending and the lack of investments in — and even proposed cuts to — diplomacy abroad and programs that help the American people here at home,” Booker added. “Our constituents deserve robust investments in our schools, health care, and housing.”
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