President Trump signed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday, giving the military a staggering $700 billion budget to start to rebuild – after 8 years of neglect from a Democrat administration.
“Today with the signing of this defense bill, we accelerate the process of fully restoring America’s military might,” Trump said at the bill signing ceremony.
“Now Congress must finish the job by eliminating the defense sequester and passing a clean appropriations bill. I think it’s going to happen. We need our military; it’s got to be perfecto. At this time of grave global threats, I urge Democrats to drop their shutdown threats and to send clean funding and a clean funding bill to my desk that fully funds our great military. Protecting our country should always be a bipartisan issue, just like today’s legislation.”
Congress had successfully passed the NDAA in November this year, with a large bipartisan majority with the final votes in the house of 356-70. The bill was passed unopposed by a voice vote in the senate.
The new defense bill would allow the base budget of $626.4 billion and another $65.7 billion of the war fund, that is known as Overseas Contingency Operations.
The funds allocated to the military in the defense policy bills would help in adding another 7500 soldiers in the current Army, for navy it would allow 4000 more sailors, and Marines and Air Force would receive 1000 and 4100 active duty soldiers in their troops. All of these branches of the military would further see an increment in the reserves and the National Guards.
Similarly, this money would also be used for a pay raise by 2.4 percent for the troops and even higher if granted by the administration.
“Brand new beautiful equipment is on its way, the best you’ve ever had by far,” Trump had said while thanking the troops. “We make the best in the world, and you’re going to have it.”
The bill further offers a small amount of money that would be used to streamline the procurement process, and allowing the Pentagon to buy more of the commercial products that are available on the web shortening the procurement process.
The bill also contains a provision aimed at streamlining acquisition by allowing the Pentagon to buy commercial items online rather than through the General Services Administration.
