House PASSES $858 billion defense bill that scraps the military vaccine mandate
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BREAKING NEWS: House PASSES $858 billion defense bill removing military vaccine mandate despite pleas from Biden administration and Pentagon
- The House passed the massive $858 billion NDAA on Thursday
- Includes language that would remove the military mandate for the COVID-19 vaccine
- The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote before heading to President Biden’s desk.
- Biden opposes removing Defense Department vaccine mandate for US service members.
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The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, paving the way for next year’s Defense budget to reach a record $858 billion.
The total amount is $45 billion more than what President Joe Biden proposed.
The 4,000-page legislation includes, to the president’s dismay, language that would rid the Pentagon of its mandate to require all service members to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
If signed into law, the mandate would be withdrawn for all active duty service members within 30 days of its enactment.
The final vote of 323-70 saw a majority of lawmakers from both parties in favor of the bipartisan funding legislation. Forty-five Democrats and 35 Republicans voted against passing the NDAA.
The House surpassed the two-thirds majority required to pass the legislation with 174 Democrats and 176 Republicans on board. Now the Senate will take up the bill before it reaches Biden’s desk.
The House passed the two-thirds majority needed to pass the massive $858 billion NDAA on Thursday, coming in at a price $45 billion higher than President Joe Biden’s requested.
The legislation, if passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president, will remove the military mandate for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The president’s spokeswoman did not say whether Biden would veto the bill on the provision banning mandatory vaccinations for all US troops, but said the White House believes it is a “mistake.”
The mandate, which was originally implemented in August 2021, became a sticking point for conservative Republicans who threatened to scuttle the entire bill if it wasn’t rescinded.
“The Republicans have decided that they prefer to fight against the well-being of our troops and we believe that is a mistake,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during her briefing on Wednesday. “Making sure our troops are prepared and ready for duty is a priority for President Biden and the vaccination requirement does just that.”
The president’s top spokesman added, “I don’t want to get ahead of the process,” when asked to comment on whether Biden would veto the funding bill based on the provision added to the NDAA.
“Every year, as you know, the NDAA has some provisions that we support and some that we don’t,” he said. “And what the president is going to do is judge this legislation, this bill, in its entirety when that happens.”