Here’s what’s in the mammoth $883.7B Defense bill the House passed

The House has advanced its mammoth$883.7 billion Defense policy bill for fiscal 2025, legislation comprising a number of controversial measures, including the rehiring of troops kicked out for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and one giving state governors veto power over a Space Force transfer.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was approved Wednesday night by the House Armed Services Committee in a 57-1 vote after more than 700 amendments were negotiated over roughly 12 hours. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was the lone vote against the legislation.

Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said the bill “will help revitalize the defense industrial base and build the ready, capable, and lethal fighting force we need to deter China and our other adversaries.”

The bill sticks to spending caps as stipulated in last year’s debt ceiling agreement, with just a 1 percent increase over the fiscal 2024 NDAA. But the House legislation shifts around billions of dollars proposed by the Pentagon, adding funding to submarines, cutting dollars for fighter jets, and delaying the retirement of dozens of aircraft.

Also included were widely supported quality of life initiatives for service members, such as a roughly 20 percent pay boost for junior enlisted troops and increases to troops’ housing allowances.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4683182-house-defense-spending-space-guard-covid/