Senate committee adds $21 billion to defense bill

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a defense bill that added $21 billion to the budget, meeting calls to invest more in national security but rejecting a spending cap that had been agreed to by House Republicans. and by the Biden administration last year.

The Senate defense bill approved this week includes $852.2 billion for the Department of Defense, an amount higher than the $833 billion for the Pentagon approved by House owners in June.

The House version is in line with a 1 percent spending increase over the previous fiscal year, fulfilling an agreement Biden reached with former president and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2023 to reduce spending in exchange of a hold on the Republican Party when it comes to raising the debt ceiling.

The Senate’s version represents a more than 3% increase over the last fiscal year, but the $21 billion in additional funding is being considered an emergency spending, meaning it does not violate the Biden-McCarthy agreement.

The Senate defense funding bill will now go to the floor for consideration by the entire chamber. The full Senate also has not yet voted on its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets priorities for the money. The House passed its NDAA in June, which includes several culture war changes.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the new investments in the funding bill “build on our efforts in the National Security Supplement to strengthen our defenses in key regions, prevent conflict, promote stability, and, ultimately, keep our nation safe.”

“With new investments to ensure our military continues to be the best in the world, while supporting our military and standing with our allies,” she added in a statement.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee, said the defense funding bill was bolstering U.S. strength.

“This strong, bipartisan budget will accelerate investments to enable our military to stay ahead of the threat from China and provide security for our military,” he said in a statement.

Still, it’s unclear whether far-right House Republicans, who have long pushed back against spending increases, will accept the emergency defense funds.

The committee’s approval comes after Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in May called for a “generational” investment in national defense, with an additional $55 billion in fiscal 2025 and the ultimate goal of spend 5% of gross domestic product, or economic output, in the budget over the next five to seven years.

Wicker and other Democratic and Republican lawmakers have become increasingly concerned about the global security environment in recent years, pointing to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Israel’s fight against Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East and threats from China. in the Indo-Pacific.

The Senate funding bill includes $500 million for the Indo-Pacific security fund to counter China, along with $37 billion to build seven warships as the US tries to achieve a larger Chinese Navy .

It also includes about $4 billion for force protection and operations in Europe and more than $17 billion for the Middle East area of ​​operations, slightly boosting the Biden administration’s March budget request.

The bill funds several priority weapons programs, including the Sentinel nuclear missile replacement program and the B-21 raider nuclear bomber, along with hypersonic weapons research and the purchase of Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story