© Greg Nash, The Hill

The House adjourned for the holiday break on Thursday after advancing the mammoth $886 billion Pentagon policy and funding package, sending it to President Biden‘s desk for a signature.

Meanwhile, the Senate is expected to be in session next week as members try to hammer out an agreement on a border deal that would unlock additional aid for Ukraine amid its war with Russia (keep reading for details).

• The final version of National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House in a 310-118 vote, with 45 Democrats and 73 Republicans opposing the measure. It overcame opposition from hard-line conservatives upset that a number of amendments they sought to bar what they call “woke” policies had been left out.
  
  
• Conservatives blasted the NDAA as a watered-down compromise bill, which had to be hashed out with the Democrat-controlled Senate and win support from the White House. Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said he was “disappointed” the House didn’t get everything members wanted.

What’s included in the bill:

• Pentagon funding for fiscal 2024, including tens of billions of dollars for aircraft and ships and a 5.2 percent pay hike for troops.
  
  
• $11.5 billion to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region.
  
  
• $800 million to support Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s invasion.
  
  
• Restriction on teaching critical race theory at military academies.
  
  
• Ban on unauthorized flags on military bases, including LGBTQ flags.
  
  
• Consideration of reinstating military members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. (More here)
  
  

Related: Tucked into the defense bill is a a short-term extension of the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers.

The controversial spy program, formally Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, will be teed up for another debate in mid-April. (More here)

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Elizabeth Crisp, filling in for Amee LaTour, with news from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is now a best-selling author with her tome ripping former President Trump and her former Republican colleagues who have aligned with him.
  
  

• A New York appeals court refused to strike down a gag order imposed on Trump during his financial fraud case.
  
  

• Israel’s defense minister says the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza could last months as the U.S. pushes Israel to scale back its military operations.

© Greg Nash, The Hill

No early holiday break for the Senate: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has decided to have members back in town next week as members continue to work on a border deal linked to aid for Ukraine.

• The Senate will be back at the Capitol on Monday in the hopes of negotiating an agreement before Christmas. The Senate had previously been scheduled to adjourn at the end of this week for its holiday recess.
  
  
• The House has adjourned, unless Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) calls members back to vote.

According to multiple senators involved in the talks, progress has been made in recent days, but some Republican senators argued there was not enough to warrant keeping lawmakers in town.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas met with Senate negotiators earlier this week. (The Hill)

Related: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that the administration believes border talks are “going in the right direction.” (More here)

©  AP

Rudy Giuliani is waiting to hear how much his disproven claims about two Georgia election workers and the 2020 presidential election outcome will cost him.

A district judge already found the former New York City mayor civilly liable for his allegations against Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman as he falsely claimed that the election had been stolen from former President Trump. Giuliani accused the duo of aiding election fraud. 

The mother and daughter are seeking more than $47 million in damages. They say Giuliani’s claims made them a target of the Trump campaign’s supporters and prompted thousands of violent and racist threats against them.

Giuliani’s lawyer Joseph Sibley argued the ex-New York City mayor should not have to pay a “catastrophic amount” of damages, claiming that others also were involved in the scheme. (More here)

NEWS FROM THE HILL: The Hill and leading election results provider Decision Desk HQ have launched the joint “2024 Election Center.” (More here)

Businesses are pushing back on Texas’s near-total abortion ban, arguing that ambiguities in the law — and a renewed spotlight on the restrictions — are making it harder for companies in the state to recruit workers.

More than 50 businesses have signed onto an amicus brief led by the women-centered dating app Bumble. The brief comes in support of 22 women who are suing the state over its abortion ban that was enacted after the Supreme Court upended the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling last summer.

“Because of those undeniable realities, businesses are now forced to confront this issue head on — not for moral or legal reasons — but to keep the lights on and people working, making money,” they wrote in the brief. “No sector of the Texas economy is immune.” (More here)

©  AP

News media outlets have eliminated nearly 2,700 jobs so far this year, the most since 2020, according to a new study.

The jobs included in that data from the Challenger, Gray and Christmas firm covered broadcast, digital and print outlets.

The news comes as several major media companies have announced recent efforts to trim staff and cut costs, citing the sluggish advertising market and general news fatigue. (More here)

Drug manufacturers will make 230,000 additional doses of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot for infants available by mid-January, amid a nationwide shortage. 

Pediatricians and hospitals have been scrambling to stock the immunization due to “unprecedented” demand as RSV season is peaking. 

White House officials have been privately meeting with drug manufacturers in recent weeks to encourage the increased supply. (More here)

32 days until the Iowa Republican caucuses.

40 days until New Hampshire’s primaries.

214 days until the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

249 days until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

327 days until Election Day.

8:30 a.m.: Oral arguments in former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows‘s appeal to get his Georgia election interference case moved to the federal courts.

1 p.m.: Biden and Harris have lunch together.

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ecrisp@thehill.com