Washington (CNN)The House of Representatives voted Thursday to reauthorize funds for the military Thursday — a massive bill that greenlights a base budget of roughly $640 billion for national defense in the next fiscal year.
The legislation also authorizes — in two paragraphs of the more than 1,000-page bill — President Donald Trump’s request to hold a military parade in the nation’s capital to honor veterans.
The bill would give a large amount of latitude to the secretary of defense to decide which “small arms and munitions” are appropriate for display in such a parade. The Pentagon would also have discretion in determining “the participation of military units” that can perform in the parade.
Language in the bill would prohibit the use of motorized vehicles, aviation platforms, or operational military units if the secretary finds that using such resources would affect their readiness.
The measure also includes a 2.6% pay raise for troops — the largest pay raise in nine years.
CNN reported earlier this year that the Pentagon has already put out internal guidance on the parade, which is expected to take place in November on Veterans Day….
