The House on Wednesday voted on a raft of amendments to be included in the defense appropriations bill, including money to replace UH-1N helicopters and upgrade the A-10.
On Thursday, lawmakers will need to tackle controversial provisions such as the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, although on Wednesday they did approve an amendment to block funding to transfer detainees to the U.S.
The UH-1N amendment would appropriate $80 million for the Huey replacement program. Last month, the Air Force decided to hold a competition, rather than merely choose Sikorsky’s H-60 Black Hawks to replace the helos. The amendment, submitted by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., offsets the costs from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Washington Headquarters Services accounts.
For the A-10, an amendment submitted by Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., pays for wing upgrades for the aircraft, which Congress has not allowed the Air Force to retire. Money would be moved within the overseas contingency operations budget to pay for the upgrades.
In other amendments:
- $29 million would be added to develop and demonstrate high energy lasers and the electromagnetic railgun for the Navy.
- $25 million would be shifted from Missile Defense Agency headquarters funds toward U.S.-Israeli directed-energy missile defense.
- $10 million would be added for Israeli Iron Dome procurement.
- $7 million would be added for B-1 bomber modifications.
- Funds to carry out President Obama’s executive order to limit the donation of military equipment to civilian law enforcement would be blocked.
