Congress sends $700B military spending bill to the president

WASHINGTON — Congress on Thursday sent President Donald Trump a sweeping defense policy bill authorizing a $700 billion budget for the military, including billions of dollars more for missile defense programs to counter the nuclear weapons threat from North Korea.

The defense authorization bill for 2018 sailed through the Senate by voice vote. The House had approved the measure.

Lawmakers say the funding is sorely needed to restock a U.S. military depleted by years of combat and a broken budgeting process that leaves the U.S. armed forces unsure of how much money they’ll get each year.

But the $700 billion plan remains notional until Congress can agree to roll back a 2011 law that set strict limits on federal budgets, including the Defense Department’s. The cap mandated by the law on national defense spending for the 2018 budget year is $549 billion.

Many Republicans favor easing the caps only for defense spending. But Democrats also want to increase the budgets for other agencies.

If they fail to reach an accord, Congress could be forced to again use stopgap spending bills. Under these short-term measures, the Pentagon’s budget is locked at current levels and the military services can be barred from starting new programs or ending old ones. Top military officials have testified that the stopgap measures have forced them to shift dollars intended for new weapons to pay for ongoing operations.

Sen. John McCain, RAriz., the Armed Services Committee chairman, said in a statement that the overwhelming bipartisan support for $700 billion in defense spending is a firm signal that the lower amount required by the law is “insufficient and unacceptable.”