The House and Senate approved a record-high $886 billion defense policy bill, up 3% from last year. It includes a 5.2% pay raise for troops, the biggest pay boost in decades.
The bill passed in the Senate 87-13 and the House 310-118, despite concerns from some GOP members that the bill keeps intact Pentagon “social-engineering” policies, such as abortion access.
Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was “disappointed” the House didn’t get all it wanted but that the bill was “a good compromise.”
