Defense One House passes $825B defense bill, racing the clock to avoid shutdown . By PATRICK TUCKER and AUDREY DECKER MARCH 22, 2024 03:49 PM ET

Defense One 

House passes $825B defense bill, racing the clock to avoid shutdown

Bill includes new money for ships, planes, ground combat vehicles, and AI.

By PATRICK TUCKER and AUDREY DECKER

MARCH 22, 2024 03:49 PM ET

The House on Friday passed a $1.2 trillion, six-bill budget package with $825 billion for the Defense Department, roughly $29 billion more than what Congress enacted in 2023. The bill now goes to the Senate, which must approve it by midnight Friday to avert a government shutdown. 

China, Europe, and cheap drones all figure heavily in the new spending. 

The legislation adds $92 million to the $9.1 billion the Department was requesting for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, as well as $108 million for greater security cooperation with Taiwan—$26 million more than the Pentagon requested. It also includes $228 million to bolster security in Eastern Europe via the Baltic Security Initiative. The legislation also includes $300 million for Ukraine via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, and about $4.6 million for the Defense Department Inspector General to better monitor U.S. aid to Ukraine. 

For the Navy, the bill includes $33.5 billion to buy eight new battle ships: two DDG-51 destroyers, two Virginia-class submarines, two frigates, one Columbia-class submarine, and one T-AO oiler. It also rejects the Navy’s proposal to divest four ships. 

Appropriators also boosted the Pentagon’s aircraft buy, allocating funds for 86 F-35 fighter jets, 15 KC-46 tankers, and 24 F-15EXs.  

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The bill includes funds to max out production of critical munitions and fill the Pentagon’s ask for multiyear contracts for six munitions: the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, the Naval Strike Missile, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile. 

On the Army side, the bill provides $431 million over the service’s budget request for ground combat vehicles, bringing that to $3.72 billion. It also fully funds the Army’s future vertical lift program request of $1.9 billion. 

However, the spending package, cuts the Space Force’s budget to $29 billion, down about $1 billion from the service’s request. Appropriators decreased the Space Force’s procurement budget from the requested $4.7 billion to $4.1 billion, and cut research and development from $19.2 billion to $18.7 billion.

On innovation, the bill includes $200 million for the Defense Department’s Replicator program—which aims to field tens of thousands of low-cost drones—and nearly $946 million for the Defense Innovation Unit, to accelerate Silicon Valley partnerships and the Pentagon's adoption of dual-use technology. The legislation also includes $900 million for the Office of Strategic Capital, to bolster private spending on technology areas critical to U.S. national security. 

Lawmakers added $100 million to the Defense Department’s request of $1.8 billion to speed the Pentagon’s adoption and deployment of artificial intelligence—including $10 million for the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office’s autonomy initiatives and $343 million to advance joint all-domain command and control efforts 

The bill also features a 5.2% pay increase for service members, as well as $43 million above the budget request for servicemembers’ Basic Needs Allowance.