Frelinghuysen Touts Big Military Budget Hike; House Ponders Bills

The U.S. House of Representatives plans to vote this week on a package of 12 appropriations bills that includes a huge hike to federal military spending. The bills would provide $654 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Defense, the “largest investment in 15 years,” according to U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11), chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.

Frelinghuysen said that the FY 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill will “boost U.S. Armed Forces and keep the federal government open for business.”

He released a statement about the funding bill on Wednesday evening:

“The legislation provides $1.3 trillion in discretionary funding for all 12 annual appropriations bills, including over $654 billion for the Department of Defense - $589.5 billion in base defense spending and $65 billion for the Global War on Terror/Overseas Contingency funding. This represents the largest investment in 15 years and will continue efforts to rebuild our Armed Forces after years of damage done under the previous administration.”

According to the House Appropriations Committee, the legislation adheres to the recently enacted budget “caps” agreement and provides an additional $80 billion for “national defense.”

Read the March 21 committee statement about the omnibus bill here.

“This bill makes historic investments in our military, including the largest year-to-year increase in funding since the beginning of the War on Terror,” Frelinghuysen said. “This legislation will continue efforts to reverse the damage and neglect done under the previous administration that has caused the men and women of our Armed Forces to be less prepared to fight, and that have put our nation’s ability to counter future threats in peril.”

U.S. troops will see a 2.4% pay raise as part of the bill, the congressman stated.

Frelinghuysen said that as part of the omnibus bill, the hike to military spending is also packaged with critical funding for non-military investments such as:

• Homeland Security – “The bill includes $47.8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, an increase of $5.4 billion over the last fiscal year. These dollars will bolster border infrastructure, add more “boots on the ground,” increase detention space, and improve surveillance technology. The legislation includes $1.571 billion for physical barriers and associated technology along the Southwest border. This amount provides for more than 90 miles of ‘border wall system,’ going beyond the Administration’s budget request for a total of 74 miles in fiscal year 2018.”
• Rebuilding America’s Aging Infrastructure – “Improving the nation’s infrastructure is critical to reliability, safety, and economic growth. The legislation includes more than $21 billion for infrastructure projects across the country, including transportation, energy, water, and cyber.”
• Combatting the Opioid Crisis – “This legislation includes nearly $4 billion in resources to combat the opioid crisis that President Trump has declared as a national emergency. It will invest billions in treatment, prevention, and law enforcement efforts to stop the spread of these dangerous drugs and help families and communities get the assistance they need.”
• School Safety – “To help protect children and to promote safe learning environments, the bill provides more than $2.3 billion in new funding to effective mental health, training, and school safety programs at the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services.”

The FY 2018 Omnibus Bill may be the last effort with Frelinghuysen - a longtime supporter of bolstering military spending - at the helm of the House Appropriations Committee.

The veteran congressman, who represents the state's 11th district, announced his plans to retire in January, leaving his seat open in 2018.

• See related article: Frelinghuysen's Challengers Speak About His Retirement
• See related article: Frelinghuysen Campaign Took $10K From Boeing Last Year
• See related article: Rodney Frelinghuysen Reports From Afghanistan

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Photo: US Army / Staff Sgt. Westin Warburton