House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) has said President Donald Trump should file a supplemental budget request for fiscal 2017 by taking into consideration the $18 billion in House-approved defense expenditures that were dropped from the final 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, Washington Examiner reported Monday.
Nicole Duran writes Thornberry told reporters Monday the Trump administration said it will submit in the next few days a supplemental request that would focus on national security and may include provisions on border security.
The omitted $18 billion budget was intended to help DoD fund new equipment, more troops, maintenance, training and facilities, Thornberry said.
He noted that his committee has begun work on the fiscal 2018 budget that would propose $640 billion in funds for military rebuilding efforts, according to Duran’s report.
Thornberry said he believes Congress can put an end to sequestration in the Budget Control Act and increase defense spending under the new administration, according to a report by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. for Breaking Defense.
“I think we have a tremendous opportunity to do the right thing,†Thornberry said.
“Unlike previous years, you have a Congress and administration who are looking at the big budget picture,†he added.
