Republicans seek to add more in defense spending

By Walter Pincus,, WashPost, Published: May 7

House Republicans on Monday spelled out some funding increases they are seeking in defense programs above the amounts President Obama requested in the fiscal 2013 Pentagon budget, including an additional $1 billion for Israeli anti-missile defense systems.

While the Obama budget proposed reducing the core defense budget by $5.2 billion, or 1 percent below this year’s spending, the Republican majority on the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee put out a suggested bill that would add $1.1 billion to Pentagon spending.

Also on Monday, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released his version of the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill, which tops Obama’s budget request by $3.7 billion.

All three proposed defense budgets are above the bipartisan level set by the Budget Control Act (BCA), setting the stage for a showdown later this election year. That is when Congress must approve deficit reductions totaling $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years, through additional spending cuts or revenue increases, or both. Otherwise, under current law, across-the-board cuts, including more than $500 billion in defense spending over 10 years, will begin to take effect in January 2013.

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