Senate unveils $700 billion defense authorization plan

[nitpicker]

http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/sasc-ndaa-fy18-more-spending-unveiled

Senate unveils $700 billion defense authorization plan

By: Leo Shane III, June 28, 2017

WASHINGTON — Senate lawmakers introduced a $700 billion defense authorization bill on Wednesday that sets the stage for another financial showdown with House budget planners and White House officials over the right target for national defense planning. The Senate draft calls for more base defense spending than either of the other plans, fewer troops and a smaller military pay raise than the House proposal, but 54 more aircraft and five more naval ships than the president had planned.

In a statement, Senate Armed Services Committee officials said the moves are “necessary to help the U.S. military restore readiness, rebuild capacity, and modernize the force for future challenges.” Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., said the plan will “start the process of rebuilding our military after six years of devastating cuts to our defense budget.”

Like the other spending proposals, the Senate plan hinges on finding a compromise fix for spending caps mandated by Congress for fiscal 2018, which has proven elusive for lawmakers in recent years. The cap is set at $549 billion for defense base funding next year. The Senate plan calls for $640 billion in base defense spending, well above the $621 billion in the House plan and $603 billion outlined by the White House.

Republican defense lawmakers in the House and Senate — along with Pentagon officials — have argued that a sizable increase in military spending is needed in future budgets to help rebuild the services after more than a decade of wartime tempo. Democrats in both chambers have pushed for non-defense spending increases to accompany any military build-up, prompting the impasse.
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[bresue]

1. Great...we can spend 800 billion to kill people....but cannot spend on health care to save lives...