Trump signs $717B annual defense policy bill into law

[nitpicker]

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/401624-trump-signs-717b-annual-defense-policy-bill-into-law

Trump signs $717B annual defense policy bill into law

By Rebecca Kheel - 08/13/18 03:33 PM EDT

President Trump signed into law Monday the $717 billion annual defense policy bill, the earliest in the year the bill has become law in more than four decades.
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This year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizes about $639 billion for the base budget of the Pentagon and defense programs of the Energy Department. It also allows for another $69 billion for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account.

It fulfills several of the administration’s priorities to bulk up the military, including adding 15,600 troops across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

The bill also follows the administration’s request for 77 F-35 fighter jets and goes beyond the administration’s request for Navy ships, authorizing a total of 13 new vessels.
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The bill also gives troops a 2.6 percent pay raise, the highest in nine years.
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With the NDAA signed into law, Congress now turns its attention to passing a defense spending bill to make the dollar amounts authorized by the NDAA a reality. The House passed a Pentagon spending bill in June, while the Senate is expected to start considering its version as soon as this week.

[exboyfil]

1. $2,700 per adult in the US