House pushes to complete $608B defense bill
By DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House is trying to finish a $608 billion defense spending bill for next year that adds billions to President Barack Obama's request and breaks a budget deal that Congress backed last year. The White House has threatened a veto of the spending bill for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The administration criticizes the House for reneging on the spending levels that Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to last August.
The bill would provide $519 billion for the Pentagon and another $88.5 billion for the war in Afghanistan. It would be an increase of $1.1 billion over current spending and $3 billion more than Obama requested.
The House debated the bill Wednesday and hopes to pass it on Thursday.
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