Senate poised to pass $700 billion defense policy bill
WASHINGTON - The Senate is poised to pass a defense policy bill that recommends billions of dollars more in military spending than President Donald Trump requested.
The legislation is expected to be approved Monday evening by a wide margin.
The measure authorizes a $700 billion Pentagon budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, expands US missile defenses in response to threats from North Korea and refuses to grant the Trump administration permission to close excess military bases.
The Senate bill would provide $640 billion for core Pentagon operations, such as buying weapons and paying troops, and another $60 billion for wartime missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.
The budget the Trump administration submitted to Congress sought $603 billion for basic functions and another $65 billion for overseas missions.
