Congress Passes $716 Billion Defense Bill

Congress Passes $716 Billion Defense Bill

Aug. 21, 2018
A $716 billion defense spending bill, just passed by both houses of congress, has moved to the executive office for the president’s approval.

President Donald Trump’s call for a bigger, stronger military was met by a recent Senate vote of 87 to 10 in favor of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The $716 billion defense policy bill, which has passed annually for more than 50 years, authorizes U.S. military spending, but it’s also used for other policy matters. After having been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, the bill is sent to the president, who is expected to sign it into law.

The fiscal 2019 NDAA was named to honor McCain, the Armed Services Committee chairman, war hero, long-time senator, and former Republican presidential nominee, who has been undergoing treatment for brain cancer. The bill imposes some controls on government contracts with Chinese companies ZTE Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. because of national security concerns.

However, the restrictions on the Chinese companies are weaker than in earlier versions of the bill, which angered some lawmakers. Those lawmakers wanted to reinstate tough sanctions on ZTE to punish the company for illegally shipping products to Iran and North Korea, nations hostile to the U.S.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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