J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Senate approves military pay raise
House version of defense authorization bill also includes 1.7 percent boost for service members.
The Senate approved legislation Tuesday evening that gives service members a 1.7 percent raise in 2013.
Senators approved the fiscal 2013 Defense authorization bill 98-0 after several days of floor debate. The House version of the legislation also includes a 1.7 percent across-the-board raise for military members next year. Congress and President Obama extended the two-year federal civilian pay freeze until at least Mar. 27, 2013.
The Senate bill includes a provision offered by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that directs the Defense secretary to cut the department’s civilian and contractor workforces by an estimated 5 percent through fiscal 2017. The House version does not include that language.