House passes compromise defense policy bill

The House voted 350-80 to pass the fiscal year 2023 defense authorization bill, which heads to the Senate for a final vote.

The topline of the bill, which is in line with legislation previously passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, authorizes $848 billion for national defense, while another $10 billion is supported through other legislation. The bill authorizes $817.7 billion for the Defense Department and $30.3 billion for defense-related activities by the Energy Department.

The bill also requires the Pentagon to rescind the mandate that members of the armed forces be vaccinated against COVID-19. Thirteen Republican Senators had said they would not vote for the bill unless the vaccine mandates were removed.

The massive 4,408-page bill also serves as a vehicle for several other key pieces of legislation including bills to increase U.S. defense assistance to Taiwan, authorize policy and toplines for the State Department and intelligence community, a minibus appropriations for homeland security and government affairs, and more.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week.

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