House passes larger defense budget than Biden administration requested

The House of Representatives passed the Department of Defense’s 2022 budget, giving them a much larger sum for the next fiscal year than the Biden administration sought.

Lawmakers voted 316-113 in favor of passing the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Politicians from both parties voted to increase the budget by nearly $25 billion, while House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith was one of the Democrats who voted against the bump. The Biden administration had requested $753 billion for the Defense Department, though lawmakers allocated roughly $768 billion, which is in line with the spending approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee.