A group of Republican senators led by Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Wednesday threatened to withhold their votes to advance the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) if the chamber doesn’t vote on whether to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the military. 

Paul said 20 Senate Republicans have signed a letter signaling they will vote against cloture on the NDAA. However, 41 senators are needed back the effort in order to grind the NDAA action to a halt. Senate and House negotiators have reportedly agreed to authorize $847 billion for the annual defense bill, a $45 billion increase from the Biden administration’s initial ask. The current defense funding expires later this month. Read Full Story

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