U.S. Armed Services Committee backs Biden's record defense budget

Robert Besser
28 Jun 2022, 01:37 GMT+10

The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee has backed President Joe Biden's proposal to increase spending for the Department of Defense by $37 billion
After the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier backed a $45 billion increase in its version of the bill, the vote paved the way for a Pentagon budget of at least $810 billion next year
As more than a dozen Democrats joined Republicans in favor of higher spending, the vote in favor of the $37 billion amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act was 42-17

WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee has backed President Joe Biden's proposal to increase spending for the Department of Defense by $37 billion, reaching $810 billion.

After the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier backed a $45 billion increase in its version of the bill, the vote paved the way for a Pentagon budget of at least $810 billion next year.

As more than a dozen Democrats joined Republicans in favor of higher spending, the vote in favor of the $37 billion amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act was 42-17.

The amendment includes $2.5 billion for fuel, $550 million for Ukraine, funding for construction of five ships, eight Boeing F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, five Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport planes, and about $1 billion for four new Patriot missile units.

Biden requested a record peacetime national defense budget of $813 billion, which earmarked $773 billion for the Pentagon.

Some $40 billion of Biden's national defense budget has been allocated to other national security-related programs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Energy and other agencies.

A 4.6 percent pay raise for troops and the largest research and development budget in history, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are also part of Biden's budget.

In 2021, Congress authorized $778 billion in defense spending, $25 billion more than Biden's request.