Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) is pushing to open up the amendment process on the 2024 annual defense bill in a bid to advance a contested measure that would crack down on credit card swipe fees. Marshall aims to attach an amendment to the NDAA, or National Defense Authorization Act for 2024, that would force the major payment networks to compete on the swipe fees that merchants pay in exchange for accepting credit cards.

The other amendments seeking to bolster the bill pale in comparison to Sen. Roger Marshall’s push for solidarity. With the tally at 85 to 14 in the Senate, an amendment to the NDAA will be prohibiting sale of our strategic oil reserves to China. Put forth by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)This solves very little as far as inflation because it does nothing to stunt inflation enough to allow domestic drilling to be more feasible. Regardless of oil grades and refining compatibility, the worldwide oil market is based on worldwide supply. The solution of using tariffs, trade barriers, or embargoes to make a geopolitical point is generally unnecessary and costly, unless there is an actual threat of imminent conflict.

The bill authorizes $886 billion in national defense for the next fiscal year, but also contains a number of provisions favoring the GOP’s stance on a variety of social debates, including the Pentagon’s diversity and inclusion efforts, abortion policy, and transgender topics.

The Democratic-controlled Senate will now take up its own version of the NDAA, which will almost certainly not include those same provisions, despite the slim majority. This will force both chambers to compromise as they merge the bills into one to send to President Joe Biden’s desk.

Sen. Roger Marshall’s amendment has bipartisan support and will hopefully be as much of a party-line vote as Ted Cruz’s S.Amdt. 926.