A defense appropriations bill that U.S. Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Kay Granger (R-TX) and Martha Roby (R-AL) led to bipartisan House approval on Wednesday would increase defense spending by $5.2 billion.
The fiscal year 2017 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, H.R. 1301, would allocate $577.9 billion to defense spending, including $516.1 billion in base discretionary spending and $61.8 billion in overseas contingency operations to support the war on terrorism.
“Our nation faces serious new challenges across the world,” Frelinghuysen, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said. “Our troops are serving with honor in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Korea, Japan, the Baltics and Africa. The rebuilding of our military starts today, and I applaud the House for passing it with such a strong bipartisan vote.”
The appropriations bill would reject the Obama Administration’s proposed troop level reductions that would cut as many as 36,000 servicemen and women from the Armed Forces.
H.R. 1301 would provide a 2.1 percent pay increase for troops and enhanced health programs for military personnel and their families.
The measure would also provide $1.9 billion more in readiness support than requested by former President Barack Obama.
“Protecting the strength and sustainability of New Jersey’s unique military installations is critical to all of our Armed Forces,” Frelinghuysen said. “Supporting these bases is vital to both our national defense and our state’s historical support for national security. Beyond a doubt, they are essential to our economy, our national security, and our future.”
Granger, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said the world is more dangerous than at any time in recent history in her House floor remarks.
“Since becoming the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee chairwoman, I have spent a lot of time talking to senior defense leadership to find out what they need to combat these threats,” Granger said. “They have unanimously stated that the only thing our adversaries respect is strength and they need this bill passed to ensure our military is as strong and effective as possible.”
Sequestration and reduced budget requests have led to an underfunding of the nation’s military, she added. “This bill begins the process of rebuilding our military and giving our warfighters the resources they need to counter the numerous, complex threats around the world.”
The bill would reverse the drawdown of troop levels by adding 36,000 troops, Granger said, and it would reverse cuts to procurement by funding additional ships and aircrafts to modernize weapons systems.
Roby, a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said providing for the common defense is among Congress’ most fundamental constitutional duties.
“Last week, I appreciated the message that President Trump delivered in his Joint Session Address,” Roby said. “I was particularly encouraged by his call to properly fund our military. … For the last several years we have been in constant tension with an administration whose sequestration policy threatened to hollow out our military.”
Roby said she was especially pleased that the bill includes funding for missions housed at Fort Rucker and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in her home district.
“I’m pleased to report that this bill contains a strong budget for Army Aviation, including $187 million for 28 Lakota helicopters. It also contains an increase of almost $450 million for the Air Force’s cyber security efforts.”
Roby noted that the bill also includes funding for the procurement of 74 F-35 joint strike fighters, a next generation fighter jet.