The committee has transferred to other programs $3.7 billion of the $10 billion that had been designated for the contingency fund for the fight against terrorism. It plans to deal with the remainder of the $10 billion at a later date.

H.R. 4546 is expected on the House floor as early as May 8. Next week, the Senate Armed Services Committee is slated to consider its version of the same bill.

Total: $383.4 billion (not including $10 billion contingency fund). The Committee press release describes the increase included in this bill as the largest real increase (after adjusting for inflation) since 1966.

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Major changes in the bill

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-Adds $425 million for military construction (total $10 billion)

-Adds $550 million to increases active duty personnel by 12,000

-Adds $3.2 billion for procurement programs (total of $73.4 billion)

-Adds $649 million for Research and Development (total of $56.5 billion)

Also:

-Allows disabled veterans to collect their full retirement and disability payments (Concurrent receipt)

-Provides a 4.1 percent military pay raise

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Amendments

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-Rejected - A Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) amendment to require the president to provide 12 months notification to Congress before conducting a nuclear explosive test.

-Rejected - A Spratt amendment to prohibit nuclear-tipped interceptors for a national missile defense (rejected 24-31).

-Rejected - A Spratt amendment to transfer funds from sea- and space-based missile defense programs to Arrow and PAC-3 procurement.

-Adopted - A Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME) amendment to require a National Academy of Sciences study on the nuclear earth penetrator - includes a perfecting amendment from Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) requiring a study on non-nuclear options (voice vote).

-Rejected - A Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) amendment to allow the president to reduce the nuclear arsenal below 1,700 weapons if recommended by the Nuclear Posture Review (rejected 25-32).

-Adopted - An Allen amendment to require a National Academy of Sciences study on the effect of a nuclear tipped interceptor on people below the explosion includes a perfecting amendment from Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) requiring a study of the effect of a nuclear weapon slipping through the

National Missile Defense system (voice vote).

-Adopted - Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) provision to require the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the NNSA Administrator, to provide to Congress with the fiscal year 2004 budget a plan for achieving a one-year readiness posture to resume underground nuclear tests (25-16).

-Rejected - A Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS) amendment to stop the round of base closures authorized in the fiscal 2002 authorization bill (19-38).

-Rejected - A Rep. Jim Maloney (D-CT) to reinstate limits on military training near endangered species.

-A Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) amendment to allow military personnel to pay for abortions at military hospitals overseas was rejected.

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Missile Defense

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Total: $7.8 billion ($21 million increase)

-Midcourse Defenses: $3.2 billion ($52 million increase)

-Ballistic Missile Defense System: $1.1 billion ($20 million increase)

-Theater High Altitude Air Defense system (THAAD) and PAC-3 R&D: $1.1 billion

-Boost Phase Defense Segment: $719.4 million ($77.5 million decrease)

-Sensors: $373.4 million

-Israel's Arrow missile defense: $86.7 million($21 million increase)

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Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR)

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=$416.7 million authorized, the Administration request

-$70.5 million to eliminate Russian nuclear weapons

-$55 million to prevent biological weapons proliferation in former Soviet Union

-$50 million to destroy chemical weapons in Russia (cut of $83.6 million from Administration request)

-$40 million to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction & technologies

-$39.9 million to improve security at nuclear storage facilities

-$17.8 million to eliminate weapons of mass destruction infrastructure

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Increases above the Administration request

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-B-2 Bomber upgrades: $346.4 million ($49 million increase)

-F-16 fighter jet upgrades: $425.9 million ($94.1 million increase)

-F-15 fighter jet upgrades: $291.5 million ($59 million increase)

-UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter: $291.7 million ($100.3 million increase)

-CVN(X) Aircraft Carrier: $740.7 million ($229 million increase), speeding up the program by one year

-DDG-51 AEGIS Destroyer: $3.1 billion ($810 million and one DDG-51 more than the President's request)

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Programs where House bill is consistent with Administration request

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-F/A-18 Super Hornet Procurement: $3.2 billion for 44 F/A-18E/Fs

-F-22 Raptor Procurement and R&D: $5.3 billion for 23 aircraft

-F-35 Joint Strike Fighter R&D: $3.4 billion

-V-22 Osprey: $1.6 billion for 11 V-22s and R&D

-Army Future Combat System (FCS): $836 million

-Army Interim Armored Vehicles: $935.9 million for 332 medium armored vehicles and R&D

-M1A2 Abrams Tank upgrades: $376.3 million

-RAH-66 Comanche: $910 million

-LHD-8 Helicopter Carrier: $243 million

-LPD-17 Amphibious Assault Ship: $604.5 million

-New Attack Submarine: $2.1 billion

http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/budget/fy03markup.html

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