WASHINGTON, 28 December 2021, (TON): President Joe Biden has signed into law a $777.7bn US annual military budget, his first in office, weeks after Congress overwhelmingly passed the bill amid protests from progressives and anti-war groups who had advocated for cutting military spending.

The White House announced that Biden signed the piece of legislation, formally known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), on Monday, noting that the bill includes a pay increase for the US armed forces.

The US Senate passed the bill in an 89-10 vote on December 15, days after the House of Representatives had approved it in a vote of 363-70.

On Monday, the White House expressed gratitude for the leading members of the armed services panels in the House and the Senate from both major parties. Congress allocated about $24bn more than the Biden administration had requested for the military.

Biden’s approval of the bill was expected; the White House had not voiced any reservations about the increased spending, which took the military budget above its most recent peak of $740bn reached in former President Donald Trump’s final year in office.