Senate Passes Defense Bill to Boost Troop Pay, Stop Subsidizing Gender Surgeries for Minors

The U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which will boost pay for junior troops and prohibit the military’s healthcare, TRICARE, from covering gender surgeries for servicemembers’ children “that could result in sterilization.”

The Details: The $895 billion bill passed 85-14, and will now head to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Junior servicemembers will see a 14.5% pay increase, and the rest of the force will see a 4.5% increase, which Reuters (Center bias) described as “higher than usual.” The NDAA also includes billions of dollars for military housing and schools, and provisions to remain competitive militarily with adversaries like Russia and China.

For Context: The law passed the U.S. House last week 281-140, with 124 Democrats voting “no” and 16 Republicans doing the same. Fox News (Right bias) noted in the House vote, “only 81 Democrats voted yes… a much larger margin than in years passed when the legislation typically enjoyed bipartisan support.”

How the Media Covered It: NBC News (Lean Left bias) and Reuters only mentioned the transgender provision in their headlines, but not the pay raise. Associated Press (Left bias) initially noted both in its headline, but appears to have edited it to remove the transgender angle, and instead focus on the pay raise, and attempts to compete with China.