House Appropriations Committee Releases $608 Billion Defense Spending Bill

The United States' House Appropriations Committee released on Monday a $608 billion defense spending bill for fiscal 2013, providing some $88.5 billion in funding for the war in Afghanistan. The bill will be up for consideration in subcommittee tomorrow.

More than $519 billion has been appropriated as non-war funding, which is a more than $1 billion increase over the last budget. It is also $3.1 billion more than what President Barack Obama requested.

Obama had requested $88.5 billion funding for the ongoing military operations in Afghanistan. The amount is $26.6 billion less than the prior year because of the reduction of forces overseas. A portion of the money will be used to buy new aircraft to replace those lost in combat and will help with maintenance costs, the committee said.

The number one duty of the Congress is to provide adequate and timely funding for our national defense, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers said in a statement.

Defense Subcommittee Chairman C.W. Bill Young also said that bipartisan work is what provided the much-needed resources to modernize and maintain the military.

My long-standing commitment has always been that we will not adversely affect any soldier or have an impact on the readiness of our military, Young said. We have kept that promise with this bill, fulfilling our obligations to the brave men and women who selflessly serve our country, as well as their families.

Read the full bill below:
Bills 112hr Sc AP Fy13 Defense