The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed the annual defense policy bill that sets priorities for the next fiscal year, and directs how $717 billion should be spent to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to rebuild the U.S. military, which has seen readiness decline after years of congressionally imposed budget cuts.
The fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act includes funds to add troops to all the military services, replace worn-out equipment, and accelerate the purchase of new weapons. The vote passed 351-66.
The legislation would raise troops’ pay by 2.6 percent, the largest in nine years.
The bill includes an effort to trim the Pentagon’s bureaucracy by reducing the so-called “Fourth Estate,” the portion of the Defense Department’s workforce that is not directly connected to warfighting.
That provision was proposed by Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
“This bill also takes crucial steps toward rebuilding our military and reforming the Pentagon,” Thornberry said after the overwhelming bipartisan vote.
“I know that we are in a political business, but there is a time to leave politics at the door. There is also a time to come together to tell allies and adversaries alike that we are serious about defending this country. And most of all, there is a time to come together to support the men and women who risk their lives to defend our country and protect our freedoms,” he said in a statement.
Among the expenditures included in the bill are $18.6 billion to begin to rehabilitate and replace worn-out Army equipment, $39.5 billion to begin to overcome the crisis in military aviation by increasing flight hours and maintenance, and $23.3 billion to repair and rebuild crumbling military buildings and other infrastructure.
The bill also provides $36 billion to construct new Navy ships, including a fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, two additional littoral combat ships, and two additional Virginia-class attack submarines in fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
It also would fund a conversion of some submarine-launched ballistic missiles to a low-yield version to increase deterrent options again the Russians, and supports the Pentagon’s request for 77 additional Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
Senators on Wednesday marked up their version of the NDAA at the Senate Armed Services Committee. Once the Senate passes its version, the House and Senate bills will go to conference.
