Senate Proposes $696 Billion Spending Bill for the Pentagon

The Senate Appropriation Committee has proposed a spending bill for the Pentagon that will include a base defense budget of $627.2 billion and a war fund of $68.7 billion. The proposed bill also involves funding for the military including 96 F-35 fighter jets funding, which is 5 times more than the White House offered to buy. 

Proposal Struggles for Bipartisan Approval 

The fiscal bill, together with 11 other proposals, was announced on Tuesday during the lawmakers’ negotiations of the annual government funding. Since the beginning of the fiscal year, the US government has been working under the so-called continuing resolution measure, which expires December 11.

White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated they would rather accept the omnibus bill than any other temporary solution, however, the two chambers have to iron out some additional details to reach an agreement on the proposal.