Credit: MGNWASHINGTON (AP) — National defense would see a 1% increase in spending this fiscal year under a Pentagon policy bill that provides for a double-digit pay raise for about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The measure is traditionally a bipartisan one, but not this year as some Democratic lawmakers protest the inclusion of a ban on DOD health insurance plans covering certain transgender medical treatments for children of military members. Lawmakers are touting the bill’s 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military.