The House on Thursday easily passed the $717 billion annual defense policy bill, keeping it on track to become law before the start of the fiscal year for the first time since fiscal 1997.

The House approved the compromise fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a 359-54 vote, sending it to the Senate for a final vote expected as early as next week.

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“This bill takes a major step forward in rebuilding our military, reforming the Pentagon and better preparing this country to deal with the national security challenges which lay before us,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry William (Mac) McClellan ThornberryTrump payroll-tax deferral for federal workers sparks backlash Overnight Defense: Woodward book causes new firestorm | Book says Trump lashed out at generals, told Woodward about secret weapons system | US withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq Top Armed Services Republican 'dismayed' at Trump comments on military leaders MORE (R-Texas) said on the House floor.

The bill — named this year after Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain John Sidney McCainThe Memo: Trump's strengths complicate election picture Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' Cindy McCain: Trump allegedly calling war dead 'losers' was 'pretty much' last straw before Biden endorsement MORE (R-Ariz.), who is at home undergoing treatment for brain cancer — would authorize about $639 billion for the base budget of the Pentagon and defense programs of the Energy Department. It would also allow for another $69 billion for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account.

The bill follows with the administration’s request for a 2.6 percent pay raise for troops, an increase of about 15,600 troops across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, and 77 F-35 fighter jets. On ships, the bill exceeds the administration’s request, for a total 13 new ships.

What would have been the most controversial provision of the bill was jettisoned during House-Senate negotiations to reconcile each chamber’s version.

The initial Senate-passed version of the NDAA included a provision that would have blocked President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE’s plan to save Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE, which had been slapped with penalties after admitting violating sanctions on Iran and North Korea.

The final bill aligns with the initial House-passed version and would ban the government from contracting with ZTE and Huawei, another Chinese telecommunications company, or companies that do business with those two.

Asked Monday why the Senate provision was dropped, House Armed Services staffers told reporters the conference negotiations were focused on what was in the purview of the defense committees.

Thornberry and House Armed Services ranking member Adam Smith David (Adam) Adam SmithWhen 'Buy American' and common sense collide Overnight Defense: Marine Corps brushes off criticism of Marines' appearance in GOP convention video | US troops injured in collision with Russian vehicle in Syria | Dems ask for probe of Vindman retaliation allegations Democrats press Pentagon watchdog to probe allegations of retaliation against Vindman brothers MORE (D-Wash.) later told the House Rules Committee the provision was dropped because it would have cost $1 billion that would have had to be cut from mandatory spending. That’s because Trump’s deal with ZTE included a $1 billion fine the government would have to give back if the deal was reversed.

“I don’t agree necessarily with the parliamentarian’s ruling there, that the billion dollars that ZTE paid is something we should have had to offset if we undid the deal, but we have to live by the law,” Smith said Thursday on the floor.

“And this was also mandatory spending, so if we were going to get rid of the ZTE deal and get rid of that billion dollars, we would have literally had to cut retirement, health care from the men and women who serve in the military. I don’t think that's something that anyone on this floor would have been willing to do.”

Also dropped from the final bill was a House-passed provision that would have blocked endangered species protections for the greater sage grouse and the lesser prairie chicken for 10 years.

One closely watched provision that did make it into the final bill was Defense Secretary James Mattis James Norman MattisBiden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Trump says he wanted to take out Syria's Assad but Mattis opposed it Gary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November MORE’s request for an ability to waive sanctions on partner countries that have bought Russian arms in the past but want to now buy U.S. weapons.

Mattis argued the provision was necessary to more closely align India, Vietnam and Indonesia with the United States, but some Democrats expressed concern the provision would loosen sanctions on Russia.

Mattis did not win a separate fight with Congress over provisions in the bill on Turkey. The final bill would block transfers of the F-35 to Ankara until the Pentagon completes an assessment of U.S.-Turkish relations.

Lawmakers are concerned about Turkey’s plan to buy the S-400 air-defense system from Russia, its detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson and its moves in Syria against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.