A $16 billion list of lower-priority defense items like tanks, helicopter upgrades and a ship, that would normally be paid for as part of the defense budget, could go unfunded after the U.S. passed a landmark bill that lifts the debt ceiling but curbs federal spending.
Each service generates its own list and this years' included new facilities, ship upgrades, munitions, and long-range radars to protect the U.S.
Ordinarily, some of the $16 billion worth of unfunded priorities would get tacked on, as well as billions worth of lawmaker initiatives. Ultimately aides said $30 to $40 billion more could have been added to the defense top line. In 2022 and 2023 Congress increased spending by more than $20 billion each year. Prior to that, the Pentagon used "Overseas Contingency Operations" funds for a decade to boost the amount of money available to avoid budget caps passed by Congress.Biden has been widely expected to request additional funding in August or September to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion, after the $48 billion lawmakers approved in December for Ukraine is spent.
After complaints by defense hawks, the Senate's Democratic and Republican leaders made a formal commitment late on Thursday before the debt ceiling bill passed that the spending caps in the measure would not prevent the Senate from passing supplemental spending legislation to provide more money to the Department of Defense.