Defense Department reports or strategic policy analyses

Biden Signs $895 Billion NDAA Despite Objections to Transgender Care Ban for Military Children

Dec 24, 2024, 03:30 PM

President Joe Biden signed the $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 into law, despite his objections to a provision that bans transgender health care for military children. The bill, which passed the Senate with a vote of 85-14 and the House with a vote of 281-140, includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others, and aims to counter China's growing influence. Biden criticized the transgender care restriction, stating it undermines the military's ability to recruit and retain talent and interferes with parents' roles in determining the best care for their children. He also objected to language in the bill that prohibits the use of funds to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to certain foreign countries or into the United States.