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President Donald Trump announced during a nationwide address Wednesday evening that his administration would be paying out a one-time bonus of $1,776 to U.S. military personnel to signify the year the Continental Congress declared America’s independence from Great Britain. The bonuses come months before the nation’s 250th birthday: July 4, 2026.
During his address, Trump implied that the bonuses had been planned for some time but had been kept under wraps.
“Along with the just passed one Big Beautiful bill, tonight, I am also proud to announce that more than 1450 thousand — think of this: 1,450,000 military service members will receive a special — we call it warrior dividend, before Christmas, a warrior dividend,” Trump said.
“In honor of our nation’s founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1776. Think of that. And the checks are already on the way. Nobody understood that one until about 30 minutes ago,” he added.
On Wednesday, the Senate sent a significant defense package to President Trump, completing one of the last major legislative tasks for the year. Lawmakers came together to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a comprehensive $901 billion bill packed with defense policies that allocate funding for several of the Trump administration’s national defense priorities.
The measure received strong bipartisan support, passing the upper chamber with a vote of 77-20. This legislative exercise is an annual routine for Congress, typically wrapping up the year without much controversy.
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This year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) encountered challenges in the House that put its passage at risk. While the Senate proceedings were less contentious, there were still unresolved issues regarding certain provisions that caused concern among lawmakers.
Bipartisan frustration arose over a provision that aimed to relax some safety standards in the airspace over Washington, D.C. This comes after a tragic incident earlier this year when a collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport resulted in the loss of 67 lives.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, proposed an amendment to remove this controversial provision. Instead, he sought to include his ROTOR Act, which would require the implementation of technology in aircraft to enhance awareness of air traffic, Fox News reported.
Amending the package would have required it to return to the House. Instead, Cruz plans to attach his legislation to future spending bills.
“I’m seeking a vote on the ROTOR Act as part of any appropriations measure before the current continuing resolution expires at the end of next month,” Cruz said.
“Other provisions, like a requirement for the Pentagon to release the unedited footage of boat strikes in the Caribbean in exchange for fully funding the Department of War’s travel fund, raised eyebrows but didn’t slow down the package’s success,” Fox reported.
“That provision comes as lawmakers demand more transparency in the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug boats, and in particular, as they seek the release of the footage from a Sept. 2 double-strike on a vessel,” the report added.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed all U.S. senators this week on the military strikes.
Republican senators largely expressed satisfaction following the briefing, while Democrats complained that Hegseth declined to show unedited footage of the strikes to every member of the chamber, though likely much of the footage is classified and cannot be released in an open briefing.
