A key step in the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) process came Sept. 23, when the House voted 316-113 to pass its version of the bill. Senate Armed Services Committee leadership filed their version of the NDAA the day before; that chamber must now complete its floor amendment process and vote on its version before the chambers can conference the bill to resolve differences between the versions.  

As the NDAA moves forward, tensions are rising on Capitol Hill as lawmakers work to prevent a government shutdown by passing its usual stopgap measure called a continuing resolution and dealing with the debt ceiling extension that expires this week. At the same time, Congress must resolve a $1 trillion-dollar infrastructure bill and an even larger $3.5 trillion-dollar social and environmental bill. The rest of 2021 is sure to be filled with fireworks. 

READ MORE