House Democrats announced on Tuesday a $706 billion Pentagon funding bill closely resembling the amount requested by President Joe Biden for fiscal 2022, The Hill reported.
"Democrats have landed on a responsible funding level for the Department of Defense that maintains a strong national security posture today, while making important investments in modernization that will make us even stronger in the years to come," said House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Chair Betty McCollum.
The subcommittee is set to discuss the bill behind closed doors on Wednesday.
When the Biden administration last month requested $753 billion for defense programs for fiscal 2022, including $715 billion for the Pentagon, the figure was criticized by Republicans, who said it is too low to meet the increasing challenges from China.
Progressive Democrats also slammed the request, saying it was too much money and would be better spent on domestic needs and nonmilitary threats such as pandemics.
However, there are several parts of the bill that could persuade liberals to back it, including a provision to close the Guantánamo Bay prison by forbidding funds from being used to operate the controversial detention facility after September 30, 2022.
The bill would also not allow funds to be used to support or facilitate offensive military operations carried out by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in the war in Yemen.
The legislation also calls for a 2.7% pay raise for all troops next year, according to the Navy Times.
The pay increase would be slightly lower than the 3% pay raise troops earned this past January, but is in line with the federal formula that estimates the growth in private sector wages next year.
The spending plan would also fund a military end strength of nearly 1.35 million troops, approximately 2,000 below current levels, which is in line with the White House budget request announced in May.
In addition, the bill would provide $25 million for the Defense Department to move Afghans who helped American troops during the 20-year war to a safe location, The Hill reported.
This issue has become a major concern of congressmen in both parties amid the ongoing U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Biden administration has said it will evacuate some Afghans who aided U.S. troops, but has not yet provided a detailed plan.
In a departure from the White House request, the bill would cut off funding for the Navy’s proposed new nuclear-armed sea-launch cruise missile. The budget request included $15 million to begin research and development, but Democrats have targeted the program as a way to help cut the nuclear budget.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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