President Donald Trump has called on Congress to pass his administration’s fiscal 2018 supplemental budget request that would allocate approximately $6 billion in additional funds for missile defense programs, South Asia strategy and ship repairs, the Washington Examiner reported Monday.
Trump wrote a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) to request $4 billion in additional funds for missile defense initiatives to help counter North Korea’s ballistic missile threats.
The president’s supplemental request proposes to allot $1.2 billion in funds to support his South Asia strategy that aims to facilitate the deployment of 3,500 more service personnel to Afghanistan as well as $700 million in additional funds to repair two U.S. Navy ships in Japan that were involved in recent collisions.
“These ships provide critical naval presence and additional ballistic missile defense capabilities in the Asia-Pacific theater,†Trump wrote in the letter.
Reuters also reported that Trump’s missile defense budget request seeks to procure 20 additional interceptors for intercontinental ballistic missiles and 50 Lockheed Martin-built Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors.
Trump also reiterated his request for $1.6 billion in funds to support the construction of a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), chairmen of congressional armed services panels, issued a joint statement saying they would give Trump’s request “the serious consideration it deserves.â€
The president’s budget request comes as House and Senate conference members start to reconcile the two versions of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, the report added.