In the News

President Trump Signs $716B Defense Bill

By Fox 16 News

FORT DRUM, N.Y. - The President and Vice President both traveled to Fort Drum in upstate New York on Monday to sign the John McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  

The NDAA is named in honor of Senate Armed Services committee chairman, longtime Republican US Senator, veteran war hero, and former Vietnam POW John McCain—who has also been one of the President’s most vocal critics in Washington.   

McCain has been absent from Washington for months, and did not get to vote on final passage of the bill. He’s been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor at home in Arizona.

The NDAA provides for more than 700-billion dollars in defense spending for next year. It builds new ships and planes and gives a pay raise to America’s military.  

Arkansas Second District Congressman French Hill released the following statement after the bill was signed:
“I applaud the president for quickly signing into law critical funding for our military that gives military personnel a much-deserved 2.4 percent pay increase, boosts our military’s readiness, and combats global terrorism. I was proud to support this bipartisan bill in the House and am pleased that it provides more than $200 million for the modernization and upgrade of our C-130 fleet, the backbone of our Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard at Little Rock Air Force Base.”