House approves $895B defense bill with military pay raise, ban on transgender care for minors

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a measure that authorizes a 1% increase in spending this fiscal year and a double-digit pay raise for about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill approved Wednesday is traditionally a bipartisan one, but some Democratic lawmakers objected to the inclusion of a ban on Defense Department health insurance plans covering certain transgender medical treatments for children of military members. Lawmakers are touting the bill’s 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military.