House appropriators pass defense spending bill

The House Appropriations Committee today voted 48-4 to pass the fiscal year 2019 defense spending bill, approving a total of $606.5 billion in base funding and $68.1 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations account.

The funding level in the bill is consistent with the House's defense authorization bill and a bipartisan budget agreement brokered in February.

“This bill continues the progress we were able to make in FY-18,” House Appropriations defense subcommittee Chairwoman Kay Granger said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the bill would increase funding for select weapon systems by nearly $4.5 billion, much of which would come from diverting $2 billion away from DOD-requested projects to benefit other programs.