Military spending

Senate passes $612B defense spending bill despite White House veto threat

Despite a veto threat from U.S. President Barack Obama, the Senate on Thursday passed the annual defense spending bill for $612 billion.

The Senate voted 71-25 on the bill, which would include a 1.3 percent pay raise for troops and an overhaul of the military's retirement program.


The White House said Thursday Obama would likely veto the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) if it was passed by the Senate because an increase in defense spending should be met with an increase in non-defense spending.