US Congress passes defense policy bill with 5.2% pay raise for troops

Washington, Dec 15 – The US Congress passed a crucial defence policy titled as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that authorises annual funding to the tune of $886 billion for the Department of Defense besides setting the policy agenda after the Republican controlled House voted in its favour endorsing the Senate decision.

The bill now lands on the desk of President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The Senate passed the bill Wednesday. The House voted with 310 congressmen in favour to 118 against with 73 Republicans and 45 Democrats opposing the bill, media reports said .

The final negotiated version of the NDAA for fiscal year 2024 authorizes $886 billion in national defence funding, a 28 per cent hike over the previous year, media reports said.

The sweeping legislation authorizes a 5.2 per cent pay raise for members of the military – the largest raise for service members in more than two decades – as part of a wide range of provisions related to service member pay and benefits, housing and childcare.

It will also include a short term extension of a controversial law that permits warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals.

While some lawmakers argue it is critical for safeguarding national security, critics have put it under scrutiny saying it’s liable to be misused by the enforcement agencies.

The law, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, enables the US government to obtain intelligence by collecting communications records of foreign persons based overseas who are using US-based communications services, the CNN said in its report.