The Senate voted 67-28 to pass a two-year budget deal to increase defense spending by approximately $45B, Defense News reported Thursday. The $2.7T deal would raise defense funding from spending levels of $716B to $738B in 2020 to $740B in 2021. It also includes an agreement to exclude “poison pill†riders that limit the administration’s ability to direct funds toward the border wall project.Â
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on other lawmakers to approve the deal, which he said would “strengthen our national security and provide our troops with the resources they need†and invest in veterans, cancer research, child care and other programs. The measure, which intends to block a partial government shutdown in the fall, is now headed to the White House for President Trump’s signature.
