Highlights of Senate Appropriations Committee Action on S. 2559, the Fiscal Year 2005 Defense Appropriations Bill
The Senate Appropriations released the results of its markup of the FY’05 Defense Appropriations bill on June 22. The bill includes $416.2 billion for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2005. This amount includes $25 billion requested by the President for early fiscal year 2005 costs associated with operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The remaining $391 billion is an increase of $22.5 billion over amounts provided in fiscal year 2004.
NOTE: The $391 billion figure represents funding only for the Department of Defense. It does not include funding for military construction (estimated at roughly $9.5 billion) or weapons-related activities of the Department of Energy (estimated at roughly $19 billion), each of which are funded through other appropriations bills. All three of these funding accounts are, however, authorized in a single bill passed this week by the Senate (S. 2400, FY’05 Defense Authorization bill), which provides $447.2 billion in funding, including $25 billion for costs related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
FUNDING PROVISIONS
Total Funding Request: $417.8 billion
Committee: $416.2 billion
Personnel Request: $104.8 billion
Committee: $103.9 billion
Procurement Request: $74.9 billion
Committee: $76.5 billion
Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation Request: $68.9 billion
Committee: $68.8 billion
Operations & Maintenance Request: $121.9 billion
Committee: $121.4 billion
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
(Initial Costs) — The bill fully funds the Administration’s recent $25 billion request to cover operational costs in Iraq and Afghanistan for the early part of FY’05.
NOTE: Estimates for the total FY’05 costs for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are as high as $75 billion.
This $25 billion is broken down into these categories:
Military Personnel — $505 million Operation and Maintenance — $17.6 billion
Iraq Freedom Fund — $2.5 billion
Army and Marine Corps Procurement — $2.3 billion
Classified Programs — $1.25 billion
Defense Health Program — $746 million
MAJOR WEAPONS SYSTEMS
Ballistic Missile Defense
Request: $10.2 billion
Committee: $10.2 billion
TACTICAL AIRCRAFT
F/A-22 “Raptor” Fighter Request: $3.6 billion procurement for 24 aircraft
Committee: “Fully funds” acquisition of 24 aircraft
Joint Strike Fighter Request: $4.6 billion
Committee: $4.5 billion (Committee claims “full funding” of request)
F/A-18E/F “Super Hornet” Fighter Request: $2.9 billion for 42 aircraft ($3.1 billion total)
Committee: N/A
C-17 Transport Aircraft Request: $3.8 billion procurement for 14 aircraft
Committee: “Fully funds” acquisition of 14 aircraft
V-22 “Osprey” Tilt-rotor Request: $1.4 billion procurement for 11 aircraft
Committee: “Fully funds” acquisition of 11 aircraft
SHIPBUILDING
Total Shipbuilding
Request $11.1 billion
Committee: $10.2 billion
DD Destroyer
Request: $1.5 billion, including construction of one ship
Committee: “Fully funds” construction funding request for one ship, adds $99 million for advanced procurement on a second vessel.
DDG-51 “Arleigh Burke” Destroyer
Request: $3.4 billion for 3 ships
Committee: $3.4 billion for 3 ships
LPD-17 “San Antonio” Amphibious Assault Ship
Request: $976 million for 1 ship
Committee: $966 million for 1 ship
SSN-774 “Virginia” Class Submarine
Request: $2.5 billion for one vessel
Committee: $2.5 billion for one vessel
ARMY PROGRAMS
Stryker Interim Armored Vehicle (IAV)
Request: $957 million for 310 vehicles
Committee “fully funds” the procurement request
Future Combat Systems
Request: $3.2 billion
Committee: $3.03 billion (reduces $150 million for “excessive management costs”)
GENERAL PROVISIONS
- Funds an Army end-strength increase of 20,000 troops
- Authorizes a 3.5 percent across-the-board pay raise for military personnel
- Adds $14.7 million for an additional seven Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Teams, for a total of 55 teams by the end of FY’05
- Adds $110 million for advanced procurement of Air Force tanker aircraft (the Administration did not request any funding).
- Adds $500 million for National Guard equipment (the Administration did not request any funding).
_______ Sources: Defense Department’s Fiscal Year 2005 budget request, Senate Appropriations Committee press release (June 22, 2004), text of S. 2559.
ALSO SEE: Summary of the House version of this legislation.