WASHINGTON (AP) Jun. 11, 2015 — The House on Thursday approved a $579 billion defense spending bill that offers a slight pay raise to U.S. troops, but reflects deep divisions on budget priorities and whether President Barack Obama needs new war powers to fight Islamic State militants.
The vote was 278 to 149 in favor of the bill, which drew stiff opposition from Democrats because it uses a war-fighting account to raise defense spending next year.
The measure gives President Barack Obama roughly all the money he requested for defense, but does so by hiking the war-fighting account — which is not subject to congressional spending caps — by almost $40 billion.
“This is a strong defense bill that provides our troops with the resources they need and the raise they have earned,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said. “It reflects the reality of a dangerous world, including resources to combat cyberattacks.”
He noted that only 43 Democrats voted for the bill.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Democrats strongly support national defense, but want the spending caps lifted. They oppose using the emergency war-fighting account because it gives the military money for only one year. “The defense appropriation bill is bad budgeting and harmful to military planning — perpetuating uncertainty and instability in the defense budget, and damaging the military`s ability to plan and prepare for the future,” she said.
Introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, the measure would have required Congress to debate and vote on a new authorization for the use of military force by March 31.
The amendment called for banning the use of funds in the fight against IS in Iraq and Syria unless Congress passed a new authorization.
On Wednesday, Obama ordered the deployment of up to 450 more American troops to Iraq in an effort to reverse major battlefield losses to the Islamic State, an escalation but not a significant shift in the struggling U.S. strategy to defeat the extremist group. Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, are pushing for a new authorization for the use of military force in the fight against IS.
The defense bill itself enjoyed bipartisan backing when separated from the broader budget debate. The measure provides $8.4 billion for 65 next generation F-35 fighter aircraft, eight more than requested by the Pentagon, as well as $16.9 billion toward nine new Navy ships. It also prevents the retirement of the A-10 aircraft that protects ground troops. Men and women in uniform would get a 2.3 percent pay hike, a percentage point higher than requested by Obama.
The companion Senate version of the bill contains even more money for F-35 fighters and shipbuilding and $330 million more than requested by the Pentagon for Israeli missile defense systems.