U.S. House Bill Tops White House Defense Spending Request by $3.1B

May. 7, 2012 - 06:32PM   |  

By MARCUS WEISGERBER  

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House Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairman C.W. Bill Young has crafted a 2013 defense spending bill that is $3.1 billion more than the White House request.

The legislation, which will be reviewed by the subcommittee in a closed-door session on May 8, adds $875 million to the Pentagon’s procurement request for equipment and upgrades, according to a May 7 statement released by Young, a Florida Republican.

The chairman’s proposal also boosts the Pentagon’s research and development funding by $576 million.

“We have worked in a true bipartisan fashion to provide the much-needed resources to modernize and maintain readiness at the levels required to preserve our military’s standing as the most capable and superior armed forces in the world,” Young said in a statement.

Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., the ranking member of the subcommittee, said the bill “provides the funding necessary to maintain force structure, including the National Guard and Reserve, and provides for needed investments in research and development, and equipment acquisition.” He called the Republican’s approach to the defense budget “reasonable,” in a May 7 statement.

“I only wish that the same approach would be taken with the non-defense portion of the discretionary budget,” he said.

Young’s legislation directs the Air Force to continue the Alenia Aermacchi C-27 cargo plane program. It also keeps the Northrop Grumman Block-30 Global Hawk, which the Air Force has proposed canceling.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., in his mark of the 2013 defense authorization bill, directed the Air Force to keep its C-27s in service.

Young’s mark also gives the OK for multi-year buys of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers, Boeing CH-47 Chinooks, Bell-Boeing V-22 Ospreys, General Dynamics Electric Boat SSN–774 Virginia class submarines and DDG–51 Arleigh Burke class destroyers.

The legislation also includes $175.2 billion for operation and maintenance, $221 million above the Pentagon’s request, as well as $88.5 billion for overseas contingency operations in Afghanistan.

The full text of Young’s legislation is available here: http://appropriations.house.gov/UploadedFiles/BILLS-112HR-SC-AP-FY13-Defense.pdf