U.S. President Donald Trump signed a 717 billion dollar defense bill for fiscal year 2019 on Monday.
Having already passed the House of Representatives and Senate, the new National Defense Authorization Act(NDAA) will go into effect starting October first this year when the 2019 fiscal year begins in the U.S.
The colossal bill authorizes an array of defense spending, including the Pentagon's base budget, overseas contingency operations funding and a two-point-six percent pay rise for troops.
The NDAA also prohibits the use of the funds to reduce U.S. forces stationed in South Korea to below 22-thousand, unless the secretary of defense certifies that the reduction is in the U.S.' national security interest and will not seriously undermine the security of allies in the region.
It also made it clear that a significant removal of U.S. forces from the Korean Peninsula is not a negotiable issue that can be tied to North Korea’s denuclearization.
The act was named in honor of Senator John McCain, who is battling brain cancer.