DeLay: House Increases Defense Spending; Defense Funding Secures America's Future

7/8/2003

From: Stuart Roy or Jonathan Grella for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, 202-225-4000

WASHINGTON, July 9 -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) said the bipartisan spending bill funding the Department of Defense passed overwhelmingly today in the House provides our defense department with the necessary funding to secure America from emerging threats. The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2004 passed the House today 399 to 19.

"There's a lot of hard and dangerous work left to be done in the War on Terror but our troops and our president are ready to do it," DeLay said. "Providing for the national defense is the most important job Congress has and this bill reaffirms our commitment to win the War on Terror no matter how long it takes."

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for 2004 provides a total of $368.7 billion in new discretionary spending authority for the Department of Defense for 2004. This is $4.3 billion more than in 2003 and includes funding for:

-- $98.3 billion for military personnel

-- $4.6 billion for special operations forces

-- $8.9 billion for ballistic missile defense

-- $1.7 billion for ground forces modernization

-- $11.5 billion for shipbuilding programs

-- Nearly $1.3 billion for chemical and biological defense initiatives

-- $115.3 billion for operation and maintenance

-- $74.7 billion for procurement

-- $64.6 for research and development

-- $15.6 billion for defense health program