US House passes bill authorizing $900bn for military programs

Legislation includes pay increase for troops and a demand for more information about boat strikes in the CaribbeanThe US House voted 312-112 to pass a sweeping defense policy bill on Wednesday that authorizes $900bn in military programs, including a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense purchases weapons.The 3,000-page bill also includes a demand for more information about nearly two dozen lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean targeting suspected drug smugglers. A stipulation calls for the withholding of part of the travel budget of Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, unless the Pentagon releases to Congress the full, unedited video of a widely scrutinized strike in September which killed survivors of an earlier strike. Continue reading...