2.1% Pay Raise, BAH Cuts, Tricare Fee Hikes Approved by Senate

Troops would get a 2.1 percent pay raise in 2018 under a Senate bill approved late last Monday, but married military couples with dependents would potentially lose hundreds of dollars a month due to a new cap on housing allowances. The upper chamber of Congress approved its version of the $700 billion defense authorization act by a vote of 89-8. The 1,215-page bill now heads to closed-door negotiations with House lawmakers known as "conference," in which the two versions of the annual policy bill will be combined. For more details, see this Military.com article.