Headline Roundup • December 23rd, 2022
Biden Signs $858B Defense Bill
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden signed Congress’ 2023 defense bill into law on Friday, authorizing $858 billion in spending and overturning his administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for service members.
The Details: The approved National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is $45 billion more than the Biden administration’s initial request. It allocates $817 billion to the Department of Defense and $30 billion to the Department of Energy for nuclear weapons programs.
For Context: The bill had bipartisan support, passing the Senate with an 83-11 vote. It marks a roughly a 10% jump in military and defense spending from last year. U.S. service members had been required to get the COVID-19 vaccine since September 2021. Republicans had threatened to oppose the NDAA unless it overturned the vaccine mandate, and also mounted a push for the law to reinstate troops who'd been discharged over the mandate, which ultimately fell short. Biden signed the bill despite opposition to some measures.
Key Quotes: "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, foreign affairs, and homeland security," Biden said in a statement on Friday. "While I am pleased to support these critical objectives, I note that certain provisions of the Act raise concerns."
How the Media Covered It: Biden signing the bill was a top story across the political spectrum Friday, and many highlighted how the vaccine mandate was repealed despite Biden's opposition.
Featured Coverage of this Story
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
President Biden on Friday signed the $858 billion annual defense authorization bill after Congress passed the legislation just before the year-end deadline.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate last week with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, 83-11. The bill has been named the “James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023” after retiring Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“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...
President Joe Biden signed Congress’ annual defense bill for 2023 into law Friday, giving his approval to a bill that overturns his own administration’s mandate that servicemembers must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2023 authorizes $858 billion in spending on energy programs, the military and procurement, $45 billion more than the Biden administration’s initial request. Biden expressed concerns over several provisions of the act in a statement Friday but made no mention of a GOP-sponsored item overturning the Department of Defense’s service-wide vaccine mandate, despite the administration’s...
President Joe Biden signed an $847 billion defense policy bill on Friday, killing his own administration’s mandate that troops receive the Covid vaccine.
The National Defense Authorization Act, which prescribes military policy and budget priorities each year, cleared Congress this month with overwhelming bipartisan support. The compromise bill also prescribes a whopping $45 billion increase to the defense budget proposed by the Biden administration and would mark a roughly 10 percent increase in military spending over last year.
Biden’s signature, announced by the White House in a statement, marks the 62nd...
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