The House is set to vote on the $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, which outlines the annual budget for military spending and paves the way for the bill to be passed before the end of the year.
If passed, the legislation would increase the budget for the Pentagon as well as implement a number of other unrelated pet projects that lawmakers sought to include for passage. Because the NDAA is routinely enacted each year, lawmakers frequently seek to use the legislation to tack on additional measures that are often unrelated as a way to expedite their passage.
One such policy that made its way into the most recent iteration of the NDAA is a policy that would preserve a military program that allows service members to travel across state lines to receive an abortion if they are stationed in a state that bans the procedure, according to a senior Democratic aide. That program was enacted by the Pentagon earlier this year, mandating the Defense Department to approve leave for service members obtaining abortion services and pay for any related expenses.
Top Republicans sought to block the inclusion of such a measure in the NDAA, accusing the Biden administration of politicizing the military.
