US Senate passes massive defence authorization bill

Washington : The US Senate has passed a massive $716 billion defence authorization bill.

The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed 87 to 10 on Wednesday a week after it was approved by the House, reports Xinhua news agency.

Now the bill will now go to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law.

The bill provides about $616.9 billion for the base Pentagon budget, $21.9 billion for nuclear weapons and $69 billion in war funding.

It also authorises a 2.6 per cent pay raise for members of the military, boosts the ranks of the US military services by 15,600 active troops and approves the purchase of 13 new Navy warships and 77 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets.

Congress has passed the NDAA for 57 consecutive years.