President Donald Trump has signed a $716 billion defense policy bill named for John McCain after delivering remarks that failed to mention the ailing senator.
The measure Trump signed Monday at New York’s Fort Drum will boost military pay by 2.6 percent, the largest hike in nine years.
According to Reuters, the bill weakens a bid to clamp down on Chinese telecom company ZTE.
It allows Trump to waive sanctions against countries that bought Russian weapons and now want to buy U.S. military equipment.
The bill provides no money for Trump’s requested Space Force but authorizes the military parade he wants in Washington in November.
Trump, speaking to the troops, said the National Defense Authorization Act is “the most significant investment in our military and our warfighters in modern history.”
“We are going to strengthen our military like never ever before. And that’s what we did,” Trump said.
Trump also mentioned his plans to create a sixth branch of the military called Space Force.
“In order to maintain America’s military supremacy, we must always be on the cutting edge. That is why we are also proudly reasserting America’s legacy of leadership in space,” Trump said.
Trump said the US’s competitors and adversaries “have already begun weaponizing space” and they are “developing new technologies to disrupt vital communications.”
“I have seen things that you don’t even want to see what they are doing and how advanced they are,” Trump said.m“We will be catching them very shortly.”
The National Defense Authorization Act is named after Arizona Sen. John McCain, but the President never once mentioned McCain’s name.
“We would not be here for today’s signing ceremony without the dedicated efforts of members of Congress who worked so hard to pass the National Defense Authorization Act,” said Trump while thanking service members and military leadership.
Be the first to comment