Omnibus spending bill lifts defense

Lawmakers last night released a bipartisan omnibus appropriations bill that would provide $858 billion in total defense spending for fiscal year 2023, exceeding President Biden's request by $45 billion. The bill also includes an additional $45 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine, about $7 billion more than Biden sought.

The final FY-23 topline is nearly 10% higher than what was appropriated for national defense in FY-22, an increase many lawmakers argued was needed to combat historic inflation.

The bill would also provide $772 billion in non-defense spending and $40 billion emergency supplemental spending for disaster aid.

Though senior lawmakers have said they support the bill and expect it to pass, there remains a large group of Republicans who have pledged to vote against the omnibus. Senior Republicans in the House did not participate in omnibus negotiations, arguing they would be in a better position to influence outcomes next year when they have a majority in the chamber. The bill, however, has the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Meanwhile, the bill must pass the House and Senate and be signed into law before Friday at midnight to avert a government shutdown.

Watch Inside Defense for further reporting.