The U.S. Senate has passed a massive defense policy bill that bars President Donald Trump from using Pentagon funds to bring back in-person military parades, but does not include some other culture-war demands from the president and GOP lawmakers.
The $737 billion National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, has been a key priority of the Senate during their lame-duck session. The legislation, which passed by a vote of 86-8, authorizes military construction projects, setting of defense policy, and other measures that are necessary to run the military for the upcoming 2020 fiscal year.
The NDAA does not include some of the measures that the president and Republican legislators sought to include, such as making the renaming of military bases a violation of criminal law, or reversing a ban on the Confederate flag from military bases.
The bill does, however, void Trump’s plans to spend up to $2 million in federal funds on a military parade in Washington, D.C., and also addresses religious freedom issues in the Armed Forces.
The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass easily. However, it will likely be subject to negotiation and revision as it progresses, as House Democrats have their own proposals to include.
