Trump signs $716 billion defense bill, amendment examines military pay

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.

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.

The new bill also includes an amendment from Richard Hudson (NC-08) who serves the Fort Bragg area of North Carolina.

The amendment would examine military pay for dangerous areas versus missions.

“It requests a report from the Secretary of Defense on whether the current system of awarding Imminent Danger Pay and Hostile Fire Pay adequately reflects modern warfare demands,” Hudson said in a news release. “It asks for his recommendation as to whether a system based on mission or authority rather than geography is more appropriate.”

The measure also addresses child-on-child sexual assault at U.S. military bases worldwide. The issue was revealed this spring in an Associated Press investigation.

The bill is named after Arizona Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who is away from Congress battling brain cancer. McCain issued a statement after the vote sending it to Trump saying he was proud of the bill and humbled that his colleagues named it after him.