The Senate passed the NDAA, paving the way for the annual defense policy bill's final approval.

The Senate passed its annual $895 billion defense policy bill, indicating that the legislation is likely to pass despite Democratic protests over a transgender care provision.

The Senate passed a vote to invoke cloture on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with a margin of 63 to 7 on Monday evening. The bill will now proceed to a final vote later this week.

The legislation passed the House last week with a vote of 281-140, with 16 Republicans voting against it. However, only 81 Democrats voted in favor, while 124 voted against it, resulting in a much larger margin than in previous years when the legislation had bipartisan support.

The bill outlines the distribution of $895.2 billion for defense and national security, which will be voted on over two months after the beginning of the fiscal year.

The 1% increase in the $895.2 billion budget from last year is smaller than what some defense hawks desired.

The legislation aimed to enhance the quality of life for service members during a time of record recruitment challenges, with a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops, increased access to child care, and job support for military spouses.

All service members will receive a 4.5% pay raise starting January 1st, as authorized by the measure.

This year, the NDAA's focus on eliminating "woke" policies was difficult for some Democrats to support, despite its usual bipartisan backing.

The proposed ban on Tricare covering transgender services for minor dependents of service members has sparked controversy, causing Rep. Adam Smith of Washington to reevaluate his stance on the bill.

"Denying health care to transgender people based on a biased notion is wrong, and this provision injected partisanship into defense bills."

The aim of that provision is to hinder any "sterilization interventions" on minors.

The bill did not include provisions for a blanket ban on funding for gender transition surgeries for adults or a ban on requiring masks to prevent the spread of diseases.

The bill includes provisions for deploying the National Guard to the southern border to aid in the apprehension of illegal immigrants and the prevention of drug flow.

The Air Force is considering a pilot program to test the feasibility and advisability of allowing airmen and Space Force personnel to grow facial hair.

The bill did not include a provision expanding access to IVF for service members, which has caused Democrats to express dissatisfaction. Currently, military health care only covers IVF for troops whose infertility is linked to service-related illness or injury.

The bill did not contain an amendment to repeal a provision that enables the Pentagon to compensate service members for traveling out of state to obtain an abortion.

The hiring freeze on DEI-related roles has been extended, and all recruitment for these positions has been halted until an investigation into the Pentagon's DEI programs is completed.

An internal GOP memo prohibits the Defense Department from working with advertising companies that blacklist conservative news sources.

The NDAA reduces funding for the Biden administration's "Countering Extremist Activity Working Group" and does not authorize any climate change programs, while also prohibiting the Pentagon from issuing climate impact-based guidance on weapons systems.

The House Speaker, Mike Johnson, R-La., highlighted $31 billion in savings that would result from eliminating "inefficient programs, outdated weapons, and excessive Pentagon bureaucracy" in the proposed legislation.

The compromise NDAA bill, reached between Republican and Democrat leaders, establishes policy for the country's largest government department. However, a separate defense spending bill must be passed to fund these programs.