Defense Bill Boosts Troop Pay, Keeps Abortion Travel Policy (1)

December 7, 2024, 11:25 PM UTCUpdated: December 8, 2024, 12:33 AM UTC

The Pentagon would keep, for now, its policy that allows troops to travel to obtain an abortion, but gender-affirming care for troops and their children would be restricted under a compromise defense authorization measure.

The $883.7 billion spending authorization in the legislation is within the funding caps in last year’s debt-limit deal, with $850 billion of it going to the Pentagon. The massive measure would authorize a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted troops and a 4.5% raise for the rest of the military.

Read the bill text here and the explanatory statement here.

The Senate went into negotiations for ...

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