Senate appropriators to mark bill next week that would increase defense spending

The Senate Appropriations Committee will meet next Thursday to mark up its version of the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill that could add billions of dollars to the Pentagon’s budget request.

Committee Democrats and Republicans have agreed to add $21 billion in “emergency funding” to the bill that would bring the total level of FY-24 spending beyond the cap mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Appropriators have also agreed to boost non-defense spending by $13.5 billion for FY-24.

Meanwhile, the House, which has left for August recess, has approved a defense appropriations bill that sticks to the FRA cap of $895 billion for national defense, with $850 billion specifically for the Defense Department.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has also filed a defense authorization bill that would break the defense cap by $25 billion.