America’s annual defense authorization bill was passed on Wednesday, marking the earliest the spending measure has been passed in 41 years. The bill raises military pay by 2.6%, increases personnel numbers by 15,600, and increases both aircraft and ship purchases beyond levels requested by the White House. The legislation also delays the delivery of F-35s to Turkey and bans Chinese firms ZTE and Hauwei from U.S. government business.
Source: Congress finalizes $717 billion defense budget authorization months ahead of schedule
