Biden signed the bill, officially known as the H.R. 5009 or the “ Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 ,” despite “strongly opposing” the provision denying the expenditure of funds for gender-affirming care for children.

The defense authorization bill, which directs Pentagon policy, provides a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others.

President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.

The bill authorizes $15.5 billion for the U.S. Pacific Deterrence Initiative to counter China and $300 million in military assistance to Taiwan.

President Joe Biden has signed into law an annual defense policy bill that calls for maintaining some 28,500 American troops in South Korea and reaffirming the United States' deterrence commitment to the Asian ally,