Nearly six months after the fiscal year started and just two days before a partial government shutdown could start, lawmakers have unveiled an agreement to provide the Pentagon with $825 billion for this fiscal year that eschews controversial policy riders on abortion and LGBTQ+ service members.
If passed, the legislation would ensure troop pay is uninterrupted and avoid the devastating effects to personnel funding military officials have warned could happen if Congress does not approve a regular spending bill this year.
The agreement, reached by leaders in both parties in the House and Senate, would provide the funding necessary to support the 5.2% pay raise troops got in January.
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While the pay raise took effect without Congress approving an appropriations bill, defense officials have said that not having the funding for the raise could eventually force the department to cannibalize other parts of the personnel budget, such as for recruiting efforts and permanent change-of-station moves.
Since the start of the fiscal year in October, Congress has passed a series of stopgap funding measures that simply extended last year’s funding levels with no changes or increases. The stopgap measures also largely prevented the Pentagon from starting new programs.
The spending agreement released Thursday would provide $43 million more than the…
