Senate Republicans release budget plan with $150B more for defense – Breaking Defense

WASHINGTON
—
The
Senate
Budget
Committee
has
released
a
budget
blueprint
that,
if
ultimately
passed
by
Congress,
could
add
$150
billion
in
new
funds
for
defense.

Details
of
exactly
what
that
funding
could
pay
for
will
be
determined
by
the
House
and
Senate
Armed
Services
Committees if
the

budget
resolution
is
passed.
However,
a
summary
of
the
bill
lays
out
four
main
focus
areas:
maintaining
military
readiness;
growing
the
Navy
and
strengthening
the

shipbuilding
industrial
base;
building
an
integrated
air
and
missile
defense
for
the
United
States
—
a
Trump
administration
priority
it
has
termed
the
“Iron
Dome
for
America”
—
and
investments
in
the
nuclear
enterprise.

The
new
budget
resolution,
unveiled
today
by
Budget
Committee
Chairman
Sen.
Lindsey
Graham,
tees
up
a
separate
process
for
the
Senate
and
the
House
as
the
two
legislative
bodies
grapple
over
how
best
to
enact

President
Donald
Trump’s
policy
agenda.

The
goal,
as
espoused
by
Trump
and
supported
by
House
Speaker
Mike
Johnson,
is
for
“one
beautiful
bill”
containing
all
the
president’s
priorities
to
move
through
Congress
via
the
process
of
reconciliation,
which
allows
bills
to
avoid
filibuster
and
pass
with
a
simple
majority.
However,
the
Senate
is
opting
for
a
two-bill
strategy,
with
a
first
that
focuses
on
border
security,
defense
and
energy
priorities
and
a
second
to
follow
that
would
extend
tax
cuts
enacted
in
Trump’s
first
administration.

The
Senate
Budget
Committee
will
mark
up
its
version
of
the
budget
resolution
next
Wednesday
and
Thursday.
The
House
has
not
put
forward
its
own
budget
blueprint.

“To
those
who
voted
for
and
support
real
border
security
and
a
stronger
defense
in
a
troubled
world,
help
is
on
the
way,” Graham
said
in
a
statement. “This
budget
resolution
jumpstarts
a
process
that
will
give
President
Trump’s
team
the
money
they
need
to
secure
the
border
and
deport
criminals,
and
make
America
strong
and
more
energy
independent.”

In
a

January
interview
with
Breaking
Defense,
SASC
chairman

Roger
Wicker,
R-Miss.,
said
he
was
advocating
for
“$100
billion
a
year
[for
defense]
for
the
next
two
years”
to
be
added
during
the
reconciliation
process,
which
could
help
pay
for
defense
needs
such
as
Iron
Dome,
shipbuilding
and
submarine
production,
and
sixth-generation
fighter
aircraft.

In
addition
to
the
defense
funds,
the
Senate
resolution
would
add
$175
billion
in
homeland
security
spending
and
$175
billion
in
spending
to
be
determined
by
the
judiciary
committees.

It
would
obligate
an
additional
$85.5
billion
to
the
federal
budget
each
year
from
FY25-FY28,
but
that
spending
would
be
offset
by
equivalent
cuts,
according
to
a
summary
of
the
budget.
The
text
of
the
bill
directs
several
committees,
such
as
agriculture
and
education,
to
identify
potential
cuts,
and
all
committees
would
have
until
March
7
to
provide
recommendations.

The
reconciliation
process
is
just
one
mechanism
that
Republicans
are
looking
at
in
order
to
obtain
funding
for
a
US
Iron
Dome.
Elsewhere,
Sens.
Dan
Sullivan,
R-Alaska,
and
Kevin
Cramer,
R-ND,

introduced
legislation
this
week
pushing
for
$19.5
billion
for
a
US
Iron
Dome,
with
expenses
including
$12
billion
to
expand
missile
interceptors
in
Alaska
with
Next
Generation
Interceptors,
and
$1.4
billion
for
the
Terminal
High
Altitude
Area
Defense
(THAAD)
system.