US Senate passes $895B defense bill with controversial gender-affirming care restriction

The US Senate approved the mammoth $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act on December 18, despite concern from some Democrats over a controversial policy restricting gender-affirming care for children of servicemembers, Report informs via CBS News.

In a 85 to 14 vote, the Senate approved the legislation, which the House passed last week. Eleven Democrats and three Republicans voted against it in the upper chamber. The bill now heads to President Biden's desk for his signature.

The 1,800 page national security legislation to authorize funding for the Defense Department for fiscal year 2025. But the bill includes a handful of controversial policies, like the gender-affirming care restriction, and lost support from the majority of Democrats in the House.

The Democratic-controlled Senate pushed forward with the measure nonetheless. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer noted that while the NDAA "isn't perfect," it still "includes some very good things that Democrats fought for" — citing provisions aimed at standing up against the Chinese Communist Party, boosting the use of artificial intelligence for national defense and expanding domestic tech innovation.

"Congress has passed the NDAA on a bipartisan basis for over six straight decades, and this year will be no different," Schumer said ahead of the vote on Wednesday. "We're passing the NDAA and that's a very good thing."