Biden signs defense bill, despite ban on transgender health care for military kids

Mr. Biden said his administration strongly opposes the provision because it discriminates against a group on the basis of gender identity and "interferes with the role of parents in making medical decisions in the best interest of their children." The provision also undermines the all-volunteer military's ability to attract and retain those who wish to serve the United States, he said.

"No service member should have to choose between access to health care for their family and answer an honorable call to serve our Nation," Mr. Biden said in a statement.

The Senate last week passed the bill by 85 to 14. In the House, more than 60 percent of Democrats opposed the measure after House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted on including the provision banning medical care for transgender kids. It passed 281 to 140.

Mr. Biden also objected to other language in the bill prohibiting the use of funds to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to some foreign countries and to the United States. He urged Congress to lift those restrictions.

The annual defense authorization bill, which directs Pentagon policy, provides a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5 percent pay raise for most others.

The legislation also directs resources for a tougher posture toward China, including establishing a fund that could be used to send military resources to Taiwan in the same way the United States has backed Ukraine. The legislation also invests in new military technologies, including artificial intelligence, and strengthens U.S. production of ammunition.

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The United States has also moved in recent years to block purchases of Chinese products by the military, and the defense bill extended that with a ban ranging from garlic in commissaries to technology for drones.

The legislation still will need to be accompanied by spending bills.