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.
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“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.
This year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) encountered challenges in the House that put its passage at risk. While the Senate
