President Donald Trump has signed a USD 716 billion defence policy bill named for John McCain but included no mention in his remarks of the Republican senator, who is battling brain cancer at home in Arizona. Trump and McCain are engaged in a long-running feud that dates to Trump's 2016 presidential run. At campaign rallies, Trump regularly castigates McCain ' without outright naming him ' for casting a dramatic thumbs-down vote that doomed Trump's effort last year to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which was enacted by President Barack Obama.

Trump said there was "no better place than right here at Fort Drum" to celebrate passage of the defense bill, which will boost military pay by 2.6 per cent, giving service members their largest increase in nine years. The bill ' formally named the John S McCain National Defense Authorization Act but referred to by Trump as simply the National Defense Authorization Act ' will introduce thousands of new recruits to active duty, reserve and National Guard units and replace aging tanks, planes, ships and helicopters with more advanced and lethal technology, Trump said. "Hopefully, we'll be so strong we'll never have to use it. But if we ever did, nobody has a chance," he said.