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WASHINGTON — The House passed a $895 billion measure Wednesday that authorizes a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year and would give a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. The bill passed by a vote of 281-140 and next moves to the Senate, where lawmakers sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. Lawmakers are touting the bill's 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. People are also reading... 'It could be very special': Why signs point to strong match between Nebraska, Pinstripe Bowl Scott Frost signs five-year contract to become UCF's head coach for second time Paige Hubl, former Nebraska volleyball player and Lincoln Southeast coach, dies at age 34 Lincoln Southwest vs. East boys basketball game briefly suspended due to 'unsafe environment' 'Straight up theft': Lincoln craft fair organizer under fire after canceling event Man found dead in north Lincoln, police say Andi's Ascent: She didn't want to play volleyball. Now Andi Jackson is the sport's next best thing Elite Eight's new format a 'no brainer,' and John Cook tries to pass Olivia Mauch's serve All-state volleyball: The Journal Star's postseason honors for 2024 season 140 layoffs hit Lincoln immigration services center; more likely Nebraska Portal Tracker: High-upside freshman defender intends to leave Huskers Here's how much it'll cost to travel to go see Nebraska football in the Pinstripe Bowl Amie Just: Scott Frost’s return to UCF offers glimpse into his complicated Nebraska legacy Wisconsin officer grabbing Donovan Raiola's arm a 'misunderstanding,' UW police say A smiling Scott Frost returns to UCF eager to prove himself after struggles at Nebraska Lawmakers said service member pay failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. "No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "This bill goes a long way to fixing that." The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators wanted to increase defense spending about $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a "tremendous loss for our national defense," though he agreed with many provisions in the bill. "We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it," Wicker said. House Republicans don't want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many nondefense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a "very real problem." He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, proved effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. "These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives," Smith said. "And in this bill, we decided we're going to bar service members' children from having access to that." Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson's office insisted on the ban and said the provision "taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation." Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, "I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates." Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, "and yet, here it is in this bill." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team did not tell Democrats how to vote on the bill. "There's a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well," Jeffries said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January.Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico Reports in November 2024 a Passenger Traffic Increase of 1.8% Compared to 2023
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NoneThe Federal Court of Appeal says big streaming companies won’t have to pay for Canadian content until the court hears their appeal of a CRTC decision ordering them to pay. In June, the CRTC said that foreign streamers must contribute five per cent of their annual Canadian revenues to a fund devoted to producing Canadian content, including local TV and radio news. Big global streamers like Netflix and Disney Plus launched court challenges of that order, which the regulator made under the Online Streaming Act. Earlier this month, the Federal Court of Appeal agreed to hear the case. A judge said Monday the streamers won’t have to make the payments, estimated to be at least $1.25 million each annually, until that court process plays out. The parties have agreed to an expedited schedule, meaning the court hearing would take place in June before the bulk of the money is due in August. The court decision notes that Amazon, Apple and Spotify have argued that if they make the payments, win the appeal and overturn the CRTC decision, they wouldn’t be able to recover the money. Justice Wyman Webb says having an accelerated schedule “mitigates the inconvenience arising from a possible delay in the payment,” due on Aug. 31, 2025. In a statement, the CRTC says that the Online Streaming Act, which became law in 2023, “requires the CRTC to modernize the Canadian broadcasting framework.” The regulator said it would “continue to balance consulting widely with moving quickly to build the new regulatory framework.” Kevin Desjardins, president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, says the organization is disappointed but “optimistic that the Court and all parties recognize the importance of resolving these matters...expeditiously, so that urgently needed funding for Canadian news and other production can flow back into our media system next year.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2024. SEE ALSO:
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