House, Senate $675 defense spending bills take shape

ACTION ON APPROPRIATIONS: It was a whirlwind week for the defense budget on Capitol Hill. The appropriations side of the budget is coming into focus after the House passed its version of the 2019 spending bill on Thursday and the Senate simultaneously finished its committee markup. Both chambers are proposing $675 billion for the Pentagon, including $68 billion for overseas contingency operations. It will be the second installment of a two-year budget deal struck by Congress to rebuild the military after years of caps and stopgap budget measures.

On the policy side, the House and Senate are gearing up for a conference on the 2019 defense authorization bill. The House voted to start the process and name conferees on Wednesday. The usual delays and political wrangling of past years have yet to snag the process and lawmakers are optimistic about completing the budget on time for a change. “Having passed three of our funding bills in the Senate this week, it appears the machinery of regular order is beginning to turn,” Sen. Richard Shelby, the Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, said in a statement.