Statement of Administration Policy: House Amendment to H.R. 695 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018

(House Rules)
(Rep. Frelinghuysen, R-NJ)

The Administration supports the House amendment to the Senate-passed H.R. 695, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year (FY) ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes. This legislation provides the resources the military needs to keep the Nation safe, and is consistent with the President's pledge to undo the looming defense spending reductions that are harmful to America's national security and military readiness.

This bill includes a total of $659 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD), including $584 billion in base spending and $75 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations. The bill supports a total funding level for DOD similar to that authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2018, which was signed into law by the President.

The U.S. military's greatest asset is the men and women who volunteer to serve. This bill keeps faith with service members by providing a 2.4 percent military pay raise. It increases end strength across the military services for active duty, reserve, and National Guard personnel, and includes funding for training and maintenance to ensure that United States troops are properly equipped and ready to fight.

The Administration also appreciates the Committee's inclusion of the remaining $1.2 billion of the request in H.R. 695, to support increased troop levels in Afghanistan, special operations forces capabilities, and other urgent needs. This amount is consistent with the budget amendment that the Administration submitted to the Congress on November 6, 2017.

In addition to supporting H.R. 695, the Administration will continue to support a responsible two-year budget agreement that ensures critical defense funding without holding it hostage to arbitrary demands for lower-priority domestic programs.

If H.R. 695 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign the bill into law.

Constitutional Concerns

Certain provisions of the bill raise constitutional concerns. The Administration looks forward to working with Congress to address these concerns.

The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress as the FY 2018 appropriations process moves forward.