The House passed the fiscal year (FY) 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), S. 1605, on Dec. 9 by a vote of 363-70. The NDAA provides authorization for defense spending and policies for FY 2022. The Senate is expected to consider the bill next week.
Included in the legislation was an AAMC-supported provision, Section 731, that would prevent the Department of Defense (DOD) from realigning or reducing military medical personnel within one year of the bill’s enactment, add billet validation requirements to the personnel estimates required of the DOD, and require a Government Accountability Office report on the DOD analysis used to generate its medical billet estimates before workforce changes could be implemented [refer to Washington Highlights, Oct. 8].
While the bill does not include broad restrictions on research proposed in earlier versions of the House bill that were opposed by the AAMC and others, the negotiated text does include Section 735, a provision that prohibits the use of DOD funds for research “performed by EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. in China on research supported by the government of China.”
Funding authorized in the NDAA awaits congressional approval following passage of a continuing resolution on Dec. 3, which funds the federal government at FY 2021 levels until Feb. 18, 2022 [refer to Washington Highlights, Dec. 3]. Congress is expected to restart negotiations on FY 2022 appropriations bills in the new year.