Preventive Medicine Services NCOIC Sergeant First Class Demetrius Roberson administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a soldier on September 9, 2021 in Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Jon Cherry | Getty’s paintings
The Senate passed a large military policy bill on Thursday that may have ordered the Department of Defense to lift its Covid vaccination mandate for service members and authorize $858 billion in defense spending.
The National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill that authorizes Pentagon spending and policy, cleared the Senate in an 83-11 vote. Five Republicans and 6 Democrats opposed the measure.
Last week it passed the House by a vote of 350 to 80.
The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for signature.
The bipartisan bill would allow funding for Taiwan and Ukraine and a 4.6% pay rise for soldiers. It will also abolish the duty of military vaccinations, Republican Priority. Democratic leaders allowed Covid’s latest language to make sure timely passage of the bill.
The GOP-backed amendment, which pushed for the immediate lifting of the vaccination mandate reasonably than waiting a number of weeks, failed to achieve the 60-vote threshold needed for passage within the Senate.
A separate amendment, proposed by Senator Joe Manchin, DW. Va., sought to review the method for approving energy and infrastructure projects, generally known as authorizing reform, within the Authorization Act. It also didn’t exceed the 60 vote mark.