Ohio’s Senators split on defense bill that passes U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON D.C. — The United States Senate passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act Thursday night.

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The Senate passed the defense bill that would set defense spending levels at $886 billion for the coming year, like President Joe Biden’s budget request, the Associated Press reported.

Congress must pass separate spending legislation to allocate the money, but the defense legislation lays out the budget and policy for the Pentagon.

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The Senate passed the plan which included Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s “Fend off Fentanyl Act.”

NewsCenter 7 spoke with Senator Brown about this earlier this month. The plan is aimed at preventing the flow of fentanyl into Ohio by targeting supply chains from China and Mexico.

Law enforcement also told NewsCenter 7 that the key to stopping the deadly trend of fentanyl overdose deaths is cutting off the cash flow to criminal organizations.

“This bipartisan national defense bill is a win for Ohio communities that will protect our economic and national security from new threats from China and other adversaries around the world. From going after fentanyl traffickers to protecting Ohio farmland to investing in Ohio’s military assets, this is a crucial boost to our national defense and to our state’s economy,” said Brown. “We kept the politics out, and worked to invest in the women and men in our military, and in the Ohio workers and industries crucial to keeping our country safe.”

Ohio Senator J.D. Vance released a statement in opposition to the bill Thursday night.

“I’ve worked in good faith throughout this process to secure as many wins for Ohio as possible, and I’m proud that many of those priorities have been included in the final version of the NDAA,” said Senator Vance. “However, I cannot in good conscience support the broader package, which commits the United States to years of additional military aid for the war in Ukraine. It’s disappointing to me that these significant priorities that would benefit Ohioans have been bogged down with such deeply problematic foreign policy proposals.”

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The U.S. House passed its version of the defense bill earlier this month.

The two chambers will now have to write a final bill and then pass it to be signed by the President.

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