Congress Seizes Lead on Trump's Promise to Rebuild Military
Associated Press | 29 Jun 2017 | by Richard Lardner
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump made rebuilding the U.S. armed forces a signature promise during the presidential campaign, but it's the GOP-controlled Congress that's leading the way by adding tens of billions of dollars to the annual defense policy bill to pay for active-duty troops, combat aircraft, and ships that he didn't request.
The House Armed Services Committee approved its version of a $696 billion bill for 2018 just before midnight Wednesday by a 60-1 vote. Hours earlier, the Senate Armed Services Committee unveiled a $700 billion blueprint to revive a military that lawmakers say is long overdue for an overhaul. Both committees described Trump's budget request for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 as insufficient to undo the damage caused by spending too little on a fighting force that's been at continuous combat for almost a decade and a half.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/06/29/congress-seizes-lead-trump-promise-rebuild-military.html
