Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth), the chairwoman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said the $1.3 trillion spending bill
just passed by the House includes the largest increase in defense spending in 15 years.
“When President Trump signs this bill into law, our military will finally have the funding that they have told us they need,” she said in a statement.
The new bill, which still awaits Trump’s signature, includes $700 billion for defense, $61 billion over the last year, the biggest annual defense boost in 15 years. It also includes increases for weapons procurement including 14 Navy ships, bolstering missile defenses and funds a 2.4 percent pay raise for troops.
“Fort Worth has many companies and employees who build the very best military hardware, and the omnibus provides $134 billion for new military equipment and upgrades. In total, it appropriates $654.6 billion for the Department of Defense. Importantly, this legislation also contains the funding flexibility that I believe is necessary to ensure that the taxpayer’s money is spent wisely.
“There are so many defense interests in the Twelfth Congressional District of Texas including NAS Fort Worth JRB and companies whose employees build the outstanding equipment needed to keep this country safe,” she said.
Granger delineated some of areas in which she helped secure funding:
• 90 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters
• 14 V-22 Ospreys
• 2 C-40 aircraft for the Marine Corps
• 29 Bell AH-1Z “Viper” helicopters
• $1.3 billion for National Guard and reserve equipment
• 6 C-130s for the National Guard
The bill also has $591 billion for domestic programs with almost $5 billion to battle abuse of opioid drugs, $3 billion more than last year. The National Institutes of Health gets $37 billion, up $3 billion from 2017. More money is also included for road building, rural water projects, the FBI, NASA, the IRS and it provides $4 million for anti-harrassment training for lawmakers and congressional aides.
Granger’s statement notes that she helped secure additional funding for the Trinity River Vision Authority (TRV), along with
• $25M for grants for schools to buy metal detectors in FY18 and $33M between FY19-FY28.
• Boosts Infrastructure funding by $21.2B
• $68.8 billion for VA Medical Care
o $8.4 billion in mental health care services
o $7.3 billion for homeless veterans treatment