(PTI): US President Barack Obama has signed a 680-billion-dollar military budget bill, saying his campaign to curb Pentagon waste is feasible.

“I have always rejected the notion that we have to waste billions of dollars of taxpayer money to keep this nation secure,” Obama said, before signing the defense authorization act at the White House.

But warning that the bill was not perfect, the President vowed to carry on fighting to cut waste in the defense budget, which is often packed with pet projects of lawmakers for their home states.

A significant civil rights move was also attached to the legislation by Congress — a hate crimes bill which outlaws offenses motivated by a person’s race, gender, identity or sexual orientation.

The hate crimes legislation was named after Matthew Shepard, a student murdered 11 years ago in an attack in Wyoming.

Conservatives opposed to the bill, however, argue that it would discriminate against priests who speak out against homosexuality for religious reasons, and warn Obama is pursuing a radical agenda.