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1 House Passes Defense Bill Without Most Of The Republican Demands
The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act yesterday by a large margin, one of the last things they did before the House recessed for the holiday season. The 310 to 118 vote sends the NDAA to President Joe Biden’s desk, where he’s said he’ll sign it. The bill had already passed in the Senate Wednesday night on an 87 to 13 vote, and while Republicans did win some concessions, several of their most sought-after things weren’t in the version that passed. Specifically, the bill includes no language blocking the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy or restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender service members and dependents, two issues hardline Republicans wanted included. The GOP did get some concessions on diversity and inclusion training in the military and includes a 3-percent increase over last year. That boost includes a 5.2-percent raise for service members’ pay.
2 Senate Delaying Christmas Recess To Work On Immigration Deal
The House adjourned yesterday for Christmas recess and won’t be back to work until after New Year’s, but the Senate will keep plugging along. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced yesterday afternoon that the body will continue to work next week on the details of a deal on immigration and aid to Ukraine and Israel. On Wednesday, negotiators showed some signs of optimism in reaching a deal, and Schumer doesn’t want to put that on hold until next year. “After we finish today, the Senate will return on Monday,” Schumer said, adding that he expects a vote to be taken on a deal next week. Sen. James Lankford, the lead Republican negotiator, said yesterday afternoon “We’re going to work as long as there’s daylight.” The head Democratic negotiator, Sen. Chris Murphy, agreed, saying, “We’re gonna obviously work through the weekend and hope to keep capitalizing on progress.”
3 Long-Term US Mortgage Rate Drops To Lowest Level Since August
It’s not a huge drop, but rates are moving in the right direction. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped from 7.03-percent to 6.95-percent last week, the lowest level it’s reached since August. This drop is the seventh in as many weeks. While they’re lower, mortgage rates are still higher than last year; a year ago, the rate for a 30-year mortgage averaged 6.31-percent.