The Senate Armed Services Committee has agreed to a fiscal year 2023 defense policy bill that would authorize $45 billion more than what President Biden has requested, with senior lawmakers citing historic inflation and the ongoing war in Ukraine as key drivers for the increase. While the bill authorizes a total of $847 billion for national defense, congressional staffers said it is aligned with an overall national defense topline of $858 billion, with the difference being accounted for by “defense-related...
