Trump Announces Big Holiday Bonuses For U.S. Military Personnel

President Donald Trump used a nationwide address Wednesday evening to unveil a surprise show of support for America’s armed forces, announcing a one-time $1,776 bonus for U.S. military personnel — a symbolic tribute to the year the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain.

The payments will reach service members months ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, underscoring the Trump administration’s effort to tie military morale and national pride to the country’s founding principles.

Trump suggested the plan had been in the works for some time but deliberately kept quiet until now.

“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.

The announcement came as the Senate sent a major defense package to President Trump on Wednesday, wrapping up one of Congress’s final legislative priorities of the year. Lawmakers approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a sweeping $901 billion bill that funds a wide range of defense initiatives aligned with the Trump administration’s national security agenda.

The legislation passed the Senate with strong bipartisan backing in a 77–20 vote. While the NDAA is an annual must-pass bill, this year’s version faced more friction than usual, particularly in the House, where internal disputes nearly derailed its progress.

Although the Senate debate was calmer, several unresolved provisions raised alarms among lawmakers. One flashpoint involved language that would loosen certain safety standards in the airspace over Washington, D.C., an especially sensitive issue following a deadly collision earlier this year between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, attempted to strip that provision from the bill, instead pushing to include his ROTOR Act, which would mandate new technology to improve air traffic awareness, Fox News reported. Removing the provision would have forced the bill back to the House, so Cruz opted to pursue his proposal through future legislation.

“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 strikes. Following the classified briefing, most Republican senators signaled satisfaction with the administration’s explanations, while Democrats complained that Hegseth did not present unedited footage to the entire chamber — despite the likelihood that much of the material remains classified and unsuitable for open disclosure.