September 19, 2017 at 3:44 a.m.
| Updated September 19, 2017 at 3:50 a.m.
by
Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2017, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., walks from his Senate office as Congress returns from the August recess in Washington. The Senate has overwhelmingly approved a sweeping policy bill that would pump $700 billion into the military, putting the U.S. armed forces on track for a budget greater than at any time during the decade-plus wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. armed forces appear to be on track for a budget greater than at any time during the decade-plus wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This, after the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill that would pump $700 billion into military spending for the budget year that starts in October.
The bill also would expand U.S. missile defenses in response to North Korea's hostility and protects excess military bases from being closed.
The bill doesn't reflect all that President Donald Trump wanted but he hasn't threatened to veto it.
