The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer John S. McCain joints the Royal Australian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in the South China Sea for a multinational exercise on Oct. 19, 2020. (U.S. Navy)
Defense News: Democratic appropriators want to spend more on weapons procurement than Biden
WASHINGTON ― Tweaking President Joe Biden’s Pentagon spending request for next year, House appropriators have proposed $1.7 billion more for weapons procurement and $1.6 billion less for development and testing of cutting-edge technologies meant to deter China.
The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday morning released its fiscal 2022 Pentagon-funding bill, which proposes $706 billion in defense spending, or roughly $10 billion above the amount enacted for the current fiscal year.
When added to the $11 billion for military construction appropriators are seeking separately, that sets it about even with Biden’s $716 billion request.
The legislation, crafted by Democrats, includes $134.3 billion for procurement, which is $2.2 billion less than the current year’s budget. For research funding, appropriators are proposing $110.4 billion, which is $3.2 billion above the current year’s budget.
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Update #1: House panel releases $706B Pentagon spending bill (The Hill)
Update #2: House Approps Restores 2nd Destroyer; Cuts Sea-Launched Nuke Cruise Missile (Breaking Defense)
WNU Editor: This is a surprise. I expected the US Senate would be the ones to increase the proposed US defense budget, not the House of Representatives.
