The Senate sent the proposed $618.7 billion defense policy bill for fiscal year 2017 to the White House with a 92-7 vote days after the House passed the measure, Reuters reported Thursday.Patricia Zengerle writes the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act contains a $3.2 billion rise in military spending, provisions that would prohibit closures of military installations and restrictions on transfers related to the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Ben Kesling also reports for the Wall Street Journal that the proposed NDAA would impose a 2.1 percent pay increase for service personnel, split the Defense Department’s acquisition and technology role into two positions and elevate DoD’s cyber warfare capabilities.
Josh Earnest, a spokesman for the White House, said he could not comment on whether President Barack Obama will sign the proposed NDAA.
Congress still needs to approve a separate measure to authorize the programs in the defense policy bill, Kesling writes.
