THE HILL BY REBECCA KHEEL – 12/09/19

“House and Senate negotiators on Monday released an agreement for the massive annual defense policy bill that would give federal workers 12 weeks of paid parental leave in exchange for creating President Trump’s long-sought Space Force.

“The $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) covers everything from how many planes and ships the military can buy to reforming privatized military housing. “News broke Friday night  that this year’s bill – the result of months of negotiation between the Democratic-led House, Republican-led Senate and the White House – also includes a historic deal to provide paid parental leave to all federal employees.”

“This conference report is the product of months of hard-fought, but always civil and ultimately productive, negotiations,” the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees said in a joint statement Monday.

“The NDAA remains one of the few authorizations bills that Congress passes year after year,” they added. “That is because both houses of Congress and both parties, recognize its importance and work together to support the brave men and women of our Armed Forces, and to provide them with the resources, equipment, training and policy needed to protect our nation.”

The House is expected to vote as soon as Wednesday on the compromise bill.

To read more, go to Parental Leave-Space Force Deal.