Senate sends Trump defense bill with federal parental leave, ‘Space Force’ authorization

(Worthy News) – The Senate on Tuesday voted to send to President Donald Trump an annual defense policy bill that combines a $738 billion Pentagon budget blueprint with legislation to provide federal employees with 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

The sweeping 86-8 vote followed easy passage last week by the Democratic-controlled House, whose negotiators were then forced to yield on numerous provisions seeking to rein in Trump after weeks of arduous House-Senate negotiations.

The annual defense measure has passed every year since the Kennedy administration, invariably as a traditionally bipartisan effort. Trump has said he’ll sign the bill, which delivers a 3.1 percent pay raise for Pentagon personnel, the largest in more than a decade. [ Source: NBC News (Read More…) ]