President Trump announces 'unprecedented' Christmas gift to US military in surprise letter

In a Christmas letter to "the extraordinary men and women of the United States military," President Donald Trump told U.S. service personnel on Friday that he had secured for them an "unprecedented" Christmas gift: another pay raise.

"Starting January 1, 2020, each service member will see their PAY INCREASE by 3.1 percent — the largest raise for our Military in more than 10 years," Trump wrote.

"While previous administrations allowed Military pay to stagnate, my Administration has secured pay raises for our Troops in each of the past 3 years — every year of my Presidency. This is unprecedented," the president continued. "I want to thank each of you for your distinguished service this past year, and I am excited about what we will achieve working together for the American people in 2020."

"May God bless you and your family this holiday season. May God bless our Military. And may God continue to bless the United States of America," Trump wrote.

The pay increase was included in the massive $738 billion defense budget that Trump approved on Friday.

The bill that Trump signed, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, increased the defense budget by $21 billion from fiscal year 2019, CNBC reported. In addition to the pay raise, the bill also funds the formation of the Space Force.