COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Congress passed a sweeping military funding bill late last week. The bill was approved with bipartisan support. 

It’s called the National Defense Authorization Act – and the $858 Billion dollar legislation will fund the Armed Forces for the next year. 

Sen. Jon Ossoff tells WRBL that those who protect the nation will get a much-needed pay raise. 

One of the key components of the massive funding bill is a 4.6 percent pay increase for military personnel. 

Not only will soldiers, airmen, and sailors get it, but the Department of Defense’s civilian workforce will also get the pay hike. 

This impacts nearly 17,000 people on Fort Benning alone. There are about 13,000 permanently assigned active duty personnel and another 3,800 civilians who work for DOD. 

“I have fought for and secured the most significant pay raise for military service members in more than two decades,” Ossoff said. “Whenever I visit installations in Georgia, I meet with junior enlisted personnel. I meet with those military families. I know that they are having a tough time making ends meet. That’s why I prioritized increasing their pay.”

Here’s what that pay raise means. A sergeant with four years experience making about $36,700 dollars a year will see an extra $1,688 dollars in his or her paycheck next year.

The pay raise is effective Jan. 1 and Ossoff’s office tells WRBL the first boost in pay will hit the Jan. 13 paychecks. 

In addition to the pay raises, facilities at installations across the country will get what Ossoff calls much-needed upgrades. 

“I have teamed up with my Republican colleague Sen. (John) Cornyn of Texas to increase by a historic amount the funding available for facilities on post at Fort Benning and at bases across the country,” Ossoff said. “These will help to upgrade the barracks that are deteriorating, the child development centers that military families rely upon for childcare during the day, as well as the training and operational facilities necessary to maintain peak military readiness.”