Senate passes $858bn defense bill that rescinds army Covid vaccine mandate

Democrats agreed to Republican demands to scrap vaccination requirement for service members to win support for the bill

A bill to rescind the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for members of the US military and provide nearly $858bn for national defense passed the Senate on Thursday and now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

The bill provides for about $45bn more for defense programs than Biden requested and roughly 10% more than last year's bill as lawmakers look to account for inflation and boost the nation's military competitiveness with China and Russia. It includes a 4.6% pay raise for servicemembers and the defense department's civilian workforce.