The bipartisan bill to address the debt limit could leave a list of low-priority defense projects worth approximately $16 billion unfunded, Reuters reported Friday.
The “unfunded priorities” of service branches include Abrams tanks, a ship for the U.S. Marine Corps and an aircraft.
According to the report, the debt agreement capped spending on national security programs at $886 billion in fiscal year 2024 and would push the Department of Defense and other agencies to look for ways on how to fund unfunded priorities that would normally be integrated into defense appropriations and policy bills as last-minute additions.
CNN reported that the bipartisan measure to suspend the debt ceiling through January 2025 was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Saturday, preventing a default on U.S. obligations.
“I just signed into law a bipartisan budget agreement that prevents a first-ever default while reducing the deficit, safeguarding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and fulfilling our scared obligation to our veterans,” the president said in a tweet.
The Senate voted 63-36 on Thursday to pass and send the legislation to Biden’s desk for his signature.
The upper chamber’s move came a day after the House cleared the measure, which would impose a 3 percent limit on increases for military spending in fiscal year 2024, increase the age of individuals who must work to get food assistance and accelerate energy and infrastructure projects.
