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☆ GOP Rep. Nancy Mace called the NDAA abortion measure an 'asshole move' — then voted for it anyway
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

GOP Rep. Nancy Mace said an NDAA amendment rolling back abortion protections for military service members was an "asshole move." Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. "We should not be taking this fucking vote, man," Mace was overheard saying by a reporter with Politico. And while Mace said she's up to discuss these social debates at any point, she told Politico she was worried about how "partisan" this year's defense spending bill will be. In election postmortems, many have speculated the Supreme Court's decision to gut abortion protections directly boosted Democratic turnout.

Persons: Nancy Mace, —, Mace, Henry Cuellar —, Ronny Jackson's, it's, she's, — Mace, Mace's, Roe, Wade, postmortems Organizations: Service, Privacy, Republicans, Democratic Rep, GOP, Politico, National Defense, Pentagon, Democratic, Fox News, Senate Locations: Wall, Silicon, Texas

July 14 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators are pursuing a legislative plan to track U.S. investments in China, as the White House works to complete long-awaited action that would also restrict investment in certain, highly targeted sectors. The Biden administration, meanwhile, is finalizing an executive order that would also restrict certain investment in sectors including advanced semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the aim was to wrap up legal and other reviews of the outbound investment order by Labor Day. Reuters reported in February that the proposed order was likely to track restrictions on artificial intelligence chips, chipmaking tools and supercomputers, among other technologies, imposed on exports to China in October. The senators' proposed legislation was filed as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act.

Persons: Bob Casey, Republican John Cornyn, Casey, Biden, Janet Yellen, Joe Biden, Karen Freifeld, Andrea Shalal, Susan Heavey Organizations: White, Democratic, Republican, Labor, Treasury, Reuters, National Defense, U.S . House, Republicans, Thomson Locations: China

☆ House Republicans vote to make it harder for troops to get abortions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

House Republicans voted to eliminate a Pentagon policy that makes it easier for service members to obtain abortions. The House voted largely along party lines 221-213 in tacking on the restriction to a larger must-pass bill funding the Pentagon. Only two House Republicans, Reps. John Duarte of California and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, broke with the party. House Republicans have a number of other amendment votes to press through Thursday evening. CNN's Melanie Zanona wrote that the inclusion of the abortion restrictions will lead the final House vote to be extremely one-sided.

Persons: John Duarte of, Brian Fitzpatrick, Henry Cuellar, Duarte, Cuellar, Ronny Jackson, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Joe Biden, Biden, CNN's Melanie Zanona Organizations: Pentagon, Service, Republicans, Democrat, Texas Republican, Defense Department, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Marine Corps, White, House Republicans, National Defense, Democratic Locations: Wall, Silicon, tacking, John Duarte of California, Pennsylvania, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Texas

The Republican-led House Rules Committee paved the way overnight for the chamber to vote on the amendments, angering Democrats who accused the majority party's far-right wing of injecting "culture wars" issues into the must-pass bill. The inclusion of divisive social issues could complicate the measure's chances of passing, if any of the amendments make it into the final bill. Republicans have only a 222-212 seat majority in the House and Democrats have a 51-49 majority in the Senate. The House could pass its version as soon as Friday, but the Senate is not expected to vote on its bill until later this month. Republican House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole said he expected a bipartisan compromise.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tom Cole, Patricia Zengerle, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . House, National Defense, Pentagon, Republican, Kyiv, Senate, Republicans, Democrats, White House, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ US lawmakers make bipartisan push for psychedelics research in defense bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks at a press conference on psychedelics in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in Washington, U.S., July 13, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin WurmWASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pushed to include a provision allowing medical research of psychedelic drugs as part of a sweeping annual defense policy bill, saying it could help treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments despite possible concerns. Veterans' groups have for years been pushing for research into the potential medical benefits of psychedelics - including LSD and magic mushrooms - for their ability to alleviate the effects of PTSD and depression. Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL and co-sponsor of the amendment, pointed to potential uses for survivors of sexual trauma and law enforcement officers. The measure would direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a clinical report on the uses of psychedelics in military treatment facilities.

Persons: Representative Alexandria Ocasio, Kevin Wurm WASHINGTON, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Dan Crenshaw, Crenshaw, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, Moira Warburton, Scott Malone, Susan Heavey Organizations: U.S, Representative, psychedelics, National Defense, REUTERS, Democratic, Capitol Hill, Republican, Navy, Defense, Thomson Locations: Cortez, Washington , U.S, U.S

☆ The Marine Corps might not get a confirmed leader for first time in 164 years due to standoff with Republican senator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Rebecca Kheel | Konstantin Toropin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On July 10, the Marine Corps may be led an acting commandant for the first time in 164 years. A GOP senator is blocking the next commandant's confirmation over the Pentagon's abortion leave policy. The Justice Department has already conducted a legal analysis of the Pentagon policy. Smith, then commander of III Marine Expeditionary Force, at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in September 2018. "It was a spirited discussion, and it took a long time," Kaine said about the committee's closed-door debate on the abortion policy.

Persons: —, David Berger, Jim Stenger, Military.com, Berger's, Eric Smith, Smith, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Read, Stenger, Berger, Chip Somodevilla, Archibald Henderson, Tuberville, Andrew Jones, Joe Manchin, Joni Ernst, Tim Kaine, Kaine, Charles " C.Q, Brown, Mark Milley, James McConville, Mike Gilday, — Rebecca Kheel, — Konstantin Toropin Organizations: Marine Corps, GOP, Service, Corps, Defense Department, Senate, Senate Armed Services, Capitol, Armed Services Committee, stonewall, National Defense, Pentagon, Justice Department, Peace Corps, Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air, Iwakuni, US Marine Corps, Andrew Jones Senators, Marines, Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Twitter Locations: Iowa, Smith

☆ The US Senate is working to get up to speed on AI basics ahead of any legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The deliberate pace of progress contrasts with the blistering speed with which companies and organizations have embraced generative AI, and the flood of investment into the industry. “The Senate must deepen our expertise in this pressing topic,” Schumer wrote in a letter to colleagues announcing the briefings. Options include forming a select committee to craft a comprehensive AI bill, or “splitting out and having lots of different committees come up with different pieces of legislation,” Rounds said. Sen. Michael Bennet has introduced legislation to create a new federal agency with authority to regulate AI, for example. And on Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley unveiled his own framework for AI legislation that called for letting Americans sue companies for harms created by AI models.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, “, ” Schumer, South Dakota Republican Sen, Mike Rounds, Rounds, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Indiana Republican Sen, Todd Young — haven’t, ” Rounds, Sam Altman, Sen, Michael Bennet, Josh Hawley, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, guardrails, South Dakota Republican, Washington, New, New Mexico Democratic, Indiana Republican, National Defense Locations: New Mexico

House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittees had been scheduled to begin debate this week on the closely watched NDAA, which determines how the military spends its nearly-trillion-dollar annual budget. But it was put off at least temporarily as lawmakers and the White House hold talks on raising the government's $31.4 trillion debt. House Republicans passed a bill last month, with no support from Democrats, that would raise the debt ceiling only in exchange for sweeping spending cuts, including sharp reductions in "discretionary" spending on social programs. Democrats criticized the bill and said it would not be considered in the Senate, where their party controls a majority of seats. At the same time, Republicans have been pushing for an increase in defense spending, which exceeded $850 billion in the NDAA that passed last year, drawing criticism from Democrats.

☆ Congress Boosts Funding to Stockpile Key Metals, Battery Ingredients
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The U.S. defense stockpile for hard-to-get metals and lithium-ion battery ingredients is getting a $1 billion boost from Congress, as tensions escalate with China and Russia—with both nations the source of some key minerals. The money was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, signed Dec. 23 by President Biden. The funding is just one component of the NDAA, which sets military service members’ pay and directs the Department of Defense which ships, airplanes and weapons to buy, among other initiatives.

☆ U.S. Senate passes record $858 billion defense act, sending bill to Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Thursday authorizing a record $858 billion in annual defense spending, $45 billion more than proposed by President Joe Biden, and rescinding the military's COVID vaccine mandate. Senators supported the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual must-pass bill setting policy for the Pentagon, by an overwhelming 83-11 bipartisan majority. AID FOR TAIWAN, UKRAINE AND JUDGESBecause it is one of the few major bills that always passes, lawmakers use the NDAA as a vehicle for a range of initiatives. A bid to amend the bill to award back pay and reinstate troops who refused the vaccine failed. A bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, 2023, - the end of the fiscal year - is expected to pass Congress next week.

☆ NDAA: What’s in the $858 Billion Defense Policy Bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The bill would provide a 4.6% pay raise for soldiers and raise the housing allowance by 2%. Senate lawmakers are expected to pass a $858 billion defense policy bill that authorizes U.S. military leaders to purchase new weapons and increase pay for troops. The 4,408-page National Defense Authorization Act contains hundreds of smaller policy proposals as lawmakers steer top Defense Department officials toward key priorities. What does the NDAA do on pay raises for troops? The bill would approve a 4.6% pay raise for military service members and Defense Department civilians, and increase the housing allowance for service members by 2%.

☆ After years of arguing, Congress is finally letting the US Air Force send some A-10 Warthogs to the boneyard
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Thomas Novelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The defense policy bill for 2023 will allow the US Air Force to retire 21 A-10 Warthogs. The Air Force has wanted to get rid A-10s for years, but Congress has blocked it from doing so. The Air Force has another 260 A-10s in service, but lawmakers may be more open to scrapping them. That Air National Guard wing previously flew earlier models of the F-16 until they were replaced — to much fanfare — with the Warthog back in 2010. Airmen reconfigure weapons on an A-10 during an exercise at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida in November 2019.

The NDAA is expected to get a vote in the Senate this week and be approved with bipartisan support. Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the ranking Republican member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has told reporters the two sides are roughly $26 billion apart. Or it could extend the shutdown deadline into the next Congress, which will convene on January 3, and when Republicans take control of the House. That change in majority in the House would dramatically alter the dynamic for negotiations and likely make it far harder to reach a broader funding deal. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, outlined the argument for his party in his own floor remarks on Thursday.

☆ Republican Gallagher to lead new U.S. House China select committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher was named on Thursday to lead a select committee being created in the U.S. House of Representatives to focus on economic and security competition with China. Gallagher, a former Marine counterintelligence officer who has served on the House Armed Services Committee, has been a vocal critic of China's Communist government. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy had said he would create a select committee focused on China if he is elected speaker when Republicans take control of the House in January. "The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest geopolitical threat of our lifetime," McCarthy said in a statement as he announced Gallagher's selection. Getting tough on China, the United States' top geopolitical competitor, has become an area of bipartisan agreement, although Democrats and Republicans differ to some degree in their priorities.

☆ U.S. House overwhelmingly approves bill backing record military spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This bill is Congress exercising its authority to authorize and do oversight," said Representative Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in a speech urging support for the measure. This year's bill - the result of months of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate - needed a two-thirds majority in the House after disagreement from some House members over whether it should include an amendment on voting rights. The Senate is expected to pass the NDAA next week, sending it to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law. Authorization bills create programs but Congress must pass appropriations bills to give the government legal authority to spend federal money. Congressional leaders have not yet agreed on an appropriations bill for next year.

☆ Service members kicked out of the U.S. military for refusing Covid vaccine could be allowed to rejoin, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Service members who were kicked out of the U.S. military for refusing the Covid vaccine could be allowed back in uniform if the vaccine mandate is lifted, according to two U.S. military and two senior defense officials. Pentagon leaders are now discussing whether service members who were separated can rejoin if the NDAA is signed into law, the four officials said. After Austin issued his mandate, thousands of active-duty service members were separated for refusing the Covid vaccine. If they left for failing to obey a lawful order, even if it is no longer a lawful order, they may not be allowed to reinstate their commissions. Service members often live and work in close quarters like ships and barracks, making infectious diseases more worrisome.

☆ U.S. lawmakers ease planned curbs on Chinese chips amid corporate pushback
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The final version no longer forbids contractors from "using" the targeted chips and pushes the compliance deadline back to five years from the immediate or two-year implementation deadlines included in the first version. Chips made by SMIC are commissioned by companies all over the world and can be found in products as diverse as cell phones and cars. They are difficult to identify because chips are not typically labeled with the names of the companies that manufacture them. Lawmakers released a final version of the NDAA Tuesday night. Schumer's office, SMIC, YMTC, CXMT and the Chamber of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment.

☆ U.S. military bill features up to $10 billion to boost Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. Beijing responded angrily when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved broader Taiwan legislation in September despite concerns within President Joe Biden's administration that the bill could go too far in heightening tensions with China. The $858 billion military policy bill is expected to pass Congress and be signed into law this month. The "Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act" included in the NDAA authorizes appropriations for military grant assistance for Taiwan up to $2 billion per year from 2023 through 2027, if the U.S. secretary of state certifies that Taiwan increased its defense spending. It also includes a new foreign military financing loan guarantee authority and other measures to fast-track Taiwan's weapons procurement, as well as creation of a new training program to improve Taiwan's defense.

☆ Meta avoids showdown over news content in US after journalism bargaining bill shelved
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a key architect of the news media bill, has argued that the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) is necessary to help small, local journalism outlets survive in the face of Google and Facebook’s advertising dominance. The News Media Alliance, a supporter of the JCPA, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Among those that signed the letter were the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, The Wikimedia Foundation and Public Knowledge. The tech industry launched its own offensive to keep the JCPA out of the defense bill, with groups including NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association announcing ad campaigns targeting the measure. Meta, meanwhile, turned to a familiar playbook in threatening to remove from the platform.

☆ Lawmakers Spar Over Marijuana, Energy Permits in Defense-Bill Talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Congress has passed the huge defense-policy legislation more than 60 years in a row, and it is one of the few bipartisan bills likely to be approved before the end of the year. WASHINGTON—Negotiations over a defense-policy bill bogged down Tuesday as Congressional leaders wrangled over provisions unrelated to the military, including proposals to overhaul energy permitting and enable banks to do business with marijuana companies. The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, is an annual must-pass bill that approves pay raises to U.S. military service members and Defense Department workers, and budgets for the purchase of new aircraft, ships and vehicles for combat.

☆ U.S. lawmakers ease proposed curbs on Chinese chips amid corporate pushback
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Chips made by SMIC are commissioned by companies all over the world and can be found in products as diverse as cell phones and cars. They are difficult to identify because chips are not typically labeled with the names of the companies that manufacture them. Lawmakers are expected to announce final language for the final package later this week, which may include the revised measure. SMIC, YMTC and CXMT, the Chinese Embassy in Washington and the Chamber of Commerce did not immediately respond to requests for comment. SMIC was blacklisted by the Trump administration over concerns the company aids the Chinese military.

☆ Congress could soon end the military's vaccine mandate under pressure from Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Congress could soon end the military's Covid-19 vaccine mandate. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Monday the administration is aware that Congress is considering repealing the mandate, noting that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin opposes such a move. Austin instituted the vaccine mandate, which applies to all service members on active duty or in the Ready Reserve, including the National Guard, in August 2021. Republicans have been highly critical of the mandate and the repeal legislation has long been in the works by Republicans on both the House and Senate Armed Services Committee. The bill is unrelated to a separate pressure campaign by some Republican senators, who last week said they would drag out passage of the NDAA unless the vaccine mandate was repealed.

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration is mulling a proposal from Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to repeal the U.S. military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the White House said on Saturday. But the White House said Biden had agreed only to consider the idea. "Leader McCarthy raised this with the president and the president told him he would consider it," said White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton. McCarthy presented the vaccine mandate deal as a sign of how he would lead the House as speaker. He also rebutted conservative criticism over his attendance at a White House state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron.

☆ GOP senators threaten to delay major military bill over Covid vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julie Tsirkin | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — Several Republicans are warning they will drag out Senate consideration of a massive military policy bill unless they get a vote on ending a Covid vaccination mandate for service members. The senators’ threat could delay final passage of the annual bill, which Congress has consistently passed, but it would not prevent the Senate from eventually voting on the legislation. It is insane.”The other GOP senators calling for a vaccination vote are Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and Mike Braun of Indiana. The Biden administration has had a mixed record on Covid vaccination mandates in court. The proposal put forth by the seven GOP senators is unlikely to get a vote without the support of Senate Republican leaders.

☆ U.S. Senate eyes tightened restrictions on Chinese semiconductors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate urged lawmakers on Monday to back his proposal to bar the U.S. government from doing business with companies that use semiconductors made by producers the Pentagon considers Chinese military contractors. "We need our government and our economy to rely on chips made right here in America." The proposal from Schumer and Cornyn would broaden an existing ban on government use of Chinese chips. "We need to stay tough on the Chinese government and its actions," Schumer said. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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