WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump made rebuilding the U.S. armed forces a signature promise during the presidential campaign. But it's the GOP-controlled Congress that's leading the way by adding tens of billions of dollars to the annual defense policy bill to pay for active-duty troops, combat aircraft, and ships that he didn't request.
The House Armed Services Committee approved its version of a $696 billion bill for 2018 just before midnight Wednesday by a 60-1 vote. Hours earlier, the Senate Armed Services Committee unveiled a $700 billion blueprint to revive a military that lawmakers say is long overdue for an overhaul.
Both committees described Trump's budget request for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 as insufficient after a decade and a half of continuous combat.