President Joe Biden attends the White House COVID-19 Response Team’s regular call with the National Governors Association at the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex
President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law on Monday, authorizing $768.2 billion in military spending, which includes a 2.7 percent pay increase for service members for 2022.
The NDAA authorizes a 5% increase in military spending and is the product of intense talks between Democrats and Republicans on issues ranging from reforming the military justice system to COVID-19 vaccine requirements for soldiers.
“The act provides significant benefits and increases access to justice for military personnel and their families, and enlists key officials to support our nation’s national defense,” Biden said in a statement.
The $768.2 billion price tag is higher than the $25 billion Biden initially requested from Congress, an earlier proposal that was rejected by members of both sides over concerns it would militarily build momentum with China and Russia. undermine US efforts to contain
The new bill passed earlier this month with bipartisan support, with Democrats and Republicans winning the final package.
Democrats applauded the provisions in the bill for how the military justice system handles sexual assault and other related crimes, effectively taking prosecuting jurisdiction over such crimes out of the hands of military commanders.
Meanwhile, Republicans succeeded in blocking an effort to add women to the draft, as well as including a provision that prevents abusive discharges for service members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.
The bill includes $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and a statement of Congress’s support for the defense of Taiwan, measures intended to counter China’s influence in the region.
This includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a demonstration of support in the face of Russian aggression, as well as $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative.
In his statement, the president also outlined a number of provisions that his administration opposes in what it describes as “constitutional concerns or questions of construction.”
Those plans include provisions that restrict the use of funds to relocate or release individuals detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which the Biden administration is going to shut down. Biden’s statement said the provisions “unreasonably impair” the executive branch’s ability to decide when and where detainees are prosecuted and sent to when they are released, and the transfer of detainees. but could disrupt US negotiations with foreign countries in a way that could undermine national security.
The law also has provisions preventing goods produced by forced Uighur laborers in China from entering the US, and it begins to outline plans for the new Global War on Terror memorial, which will be the latest addition to the National Mall. .
(with inputs from AP)
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