House lawmakers approve FY-17 defense policy conference bill

House lawmakers today passed the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization conference bill by a 375-34 vote.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said in a statement about the conference bill's passage: 

"This bipartisan bill focuses on our troops, America's most important national defense resource. It provides them a full pay raise for the first time in four years, it stops layoffs of our military personnel and actually increases the end strength of our Armed Forces, and it starts to stabilize the readiness problems that are making it more difficult for our troops to accomplish their mission and increasingly represents a danger to the lives. It contains landmark reforms to improve our military’s strength and agility."