Congressional Appropriators Reach $1.7T Omnibus Deal; Defense Bill Funds 11 Battle Force Ships
By: Mallory Shelbourne
December 20, 2022 11:38 AM
Moon over U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2016. NASA Photo
Congressional appropriators early Tuesday announced a deal for a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year 2023 that allots funding for the Navy to buy 11 battle force ships.
The omnibus package allots $858 billion for national defense, matching the FY 2023 authorization bill. It’s a $45 billion increase from the $813 billion the Biden administration sought for national defense in its FY 2023 budget mission.
The defense spending bill appropriates $797.7 billion in funding, which, when including the $19 billion military construction spending bill, adds up to the $816 billion that Congressional authorizers approved for the Pentagon’s base budget in the National Defense Authorization Act that lawmakers passed earlier this month.
The spending legislation appropriates $31.9 billion for the Navy’s shipbuilding account – an increase from the $27.9 billion the Navy asked for in its FY 2023 budget submission – so the service can buy two Virginia-class submarines, three Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, one Constellation-class frigate, one San Antonio-class transport dock, two Expeditionary Fast Transport ships, one T-ATS 6 Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship and one T-AO-205 John Lewis-class fleet oiler, according to a House Appropriations Committee summary of the bill.
The funding bill matches the 11 battle force ships Congressional authorizers approved in the National Defense Authorization Act, which is awaiting a signature from President Joe Biden.
https://news.usni.org/2022/12/20/congressional-appropriators-reach-1-7t-omnibus-deal-defense-bill-funds-11-battle-force-ships
