House easily passes $717B defense authorization bill

The House on Thursday effortlessly passed its $717 billion defense policy bill for fiscal 2019, with more than 100 Democrats backing the measure alongside Republicans.

The House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed 351-66, with 131 Democrats siding with 220 Republicans to support the bill. Among those who voted against the bill were seven Republicans.

“The best way to summarize this bill is that it takes the next steps,” Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said on the House floor before the vote.

“The next steps to rebuilding our military and reforming the Pentagon, the next steps towards strengthening our country's national security,” he said.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) also said on the floor that the bill “presents another major step toward rebuilding and reforming our military. ... It starts with readiness.”

“This bill invests in training, this bill invests in equipment, it grows the size of all branches of our military and it prioritizes missile defense in our nuclear deterrent. It’s a very dangerous world and this legislation will help us counter the threats, new or traditional,” Ryan said.

The plan included closing seven of the 28 agencies not directly under military services, but was pulled back slightly after pushback from Democrats and the Pentagon, leaving cuts up to the Pentagon’s chief management officer.

Of the $717 billion authorized, the House NDAA includes $617 billion in base spending, $69 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations war fund and $22 billion for nuclear weapons programs under the Energy Department. - Read More

House easily passes $717B defense authorization bill | TheHill

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Reuters