House Armed Services Democrats to propose $802 billion defense policy bill

Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee are expected to propose an $802.4 billion top line for the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a committee aide told to The Hill.

The top line, which was first reported by Bloomberg, includes a $772.5 billion discretionary top line for the Department of Defense, a figure largely in line with what President Biden requested for defense spending.

It also includes $29.5 billion for the Department of Energy and another $400 million for other defense-related activities outside of the Department of Defense.

The top line does not include $11 billion in national defense spending outside of the committee’s jurisdiction and other adjustments, the aide said.

The committee is scheduled to consider the defense bill next week before it heads to the House floor. These numbers are subject to change as the committee amends the bill during the markup process.

Republicans have been pushing for defense spending that is between 3 to 5 percent above inflation.

Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee was scheduled to markup its version of the NDAA on Wednesday and may continue into Thursday if needed.

The NDAA authorizes appropriations and establishes policy for the Pentagon and other defense-related programs. But it does not provide the actual funding needed to implement those policies, meaning an appropriations bill will also need to be passed.

The House Appropriations Committee released its proposed defense spending bill on Tuesday, which includes $761.68 billion for the Pentagon. The committee also released a $314 billion military construction and veterans affairs bill — of which $15.1 billion is set aside for military construction projects.

The committee is scheduled to mark up both bills next Wednesday.