Washington, January 25, 2018 -

The House Appropriations Committee today re-introduced legislation to fund the Department of Defense for the 2018 Fiscal Year. The bill, which was introduced and passed in the House twice since July 2017, has not been acted on by the Senate.

Chairwoman Kay Granger, the Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and the sponsor of the bill, made the following statement:

“Congress’s number one responsibility is to provide for the defense of this nation. It is this bill that fulfills that most fundamental constitutional duty. This important legislation reflects what our military leaders have recommended in countless meetings and briefings and demonstrates our commitment to restoring military readiness, force modernization efforts, and maintaining technological superiority on the battlefield. After years of cuts, it’s time to rebuild our military.”

Full Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen also commented on the bill:

“There is no more critical duty of Congress than upholding our Constitutional responsibilities to provide the men and women of our Armed Forces the resources they need to successfully complete missions and advance U.S. interests around the globe. The safety and security of our nation and peace and stability around the globe depend on it.

“It is past time that this essential, must-pass Department of Defense funding bill is enacted into law. Congress must act responsibly and quickly to get these dollars out the door and where they are needed as soon as possible.”

Bill Information:

The legislation is virtually the same as the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriations bill that passed the House in July 27, 2017 (H.R. 3219), and the bill that passed again on September 14, 2017 (H.R. 3354), as part of a larger funding packages.

The bill contains $659.2 billion in full-year, Fiscal Year 2018 funding for the Department of Defense (DOD). This includes $584 billion for base funding and $75.1 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. It also fully funds a 2.4% pay raise, and supports an increase in troop numbers for Active, Reserve, and Guard.

When added to the $4.7 billion in emergency missile defeat and ship repair funds requested by the President in November, which has already been enacted in Public Law 115-96, funding for Fiscal Year 2018 DOD appropriations totals $664 billion – fully consistent with the enacted National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.

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