The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) announced late June 25 that its fiscal year 2018 defense appropriations bill would give the Department of Defense $584.2 billion in discretionary funding, $68.1 billion above the FY 2017 enacted level and $18.4 billion above the Trump administration’s request.
The bill also would provide $73.9 billion in overseas contingency operations (OCO)/global war on terrorism (GWOT) funding, or about $10 billion more than the request, bringing the legislation’s total amount to $658.1 billion. 
“This bill reflects what our military leaders have recommended in countless meetings and briefings and demonstrates our commitment to restoring military readiness, force modernization efforts, and maintaining technological superiority on the battlefield,” said Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), chairwoman of the HAC’s defense subcommittee (HAC-D).
According to a bill summary, the measure includes $21.5 billion to buy 11 Navy ships, including one aircraft carrier, two DDG-51 destroyers, two Virginia-class submarines and three Littoral Combat Ships. The administration requested nine ships.
The bill contains $9.5 billion for 84 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, 14 above the administration’s request, and $1.8 billion for 24 Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, 10 more than requested.
It also would provide $2.4 billion for 15 KC-46A tankers, $1.2 billion for seven P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, $1.05 billion for 56 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and $1.09 billion to upgrade 85 Abrams tanks.
The bill would support various research and development efforts, including the Air Force’s B-21 Raider bomber, the Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine and the Army’s Future Vertical Lift program.
The OCO/GWOT funding would, among other things, buy new aircraft to replace combat losses, modify combat vehicles to make them safer, and provide more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets.
The HAC-D was scheduled to meet late June 26 in closed-door session to mark up the bill. The full committee is tentatively slated to consider the legislation June 30.
The HAC released the bill text but not the report that explains it. The committee typically releases the report 24 hours before the full committee markup.
Separately, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and four other senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) June 26 urging them to prevent the return of across-the-board budget cuts for both defense and non-defense in FY 2018. The cuts are currently required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.