Nov 27 Putin signs Russia's largest national budget, bolstering military spending in 2024 By Associated Press Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin says the budget was developed specifically to fund the military and mitigate the impact of international sanctions imposed after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Continue reading
Jul 14 Watch 6:34 House Republicans add culture war issues to traditionally bipartisan defense bill By Amna Nawaz, Matt Loffman, Kyle Midura The U.S. House passed a nearly $900 billion budget for the armed forces largely on partisan lines. Most Democrats voted no after Republicans added anti-abortion and other provisions to the bill. Amna Nawaz discussed the vote with New York Times… Continue watching
Apr 24 World military spending up to an all-time high, watchdog says By Associated Press The three largest spenders last year were the United States, China and Russia, who jointly accounted for 56 percent of the expenditure. Continue reading
Dec 07 Watch 6:00 Congress reviews sweeping bipartisan defense funding bill with major shifts in policy A massive U.S. defense-related bill was rolled out Tuesday and is making its way through Congress. Bipartisan negotiators released the 4,000 plan to fund the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which sets parameters for the military. This year… Continue watching
Dec 28 Biden authorizes $768.2 billion in defense spending, a 5 percent increase By Alexandra Jaffe, Associated Press President Joe Biden has signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law, authorizing $768.2 billion in military spending, including a 2.7% pay raise for service members, for 2022. Continue reading
Sep 13 Study says nearly half of defense spending for 9/11 wars went to private contractors By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press In the post-9/11 wars, U.S. corporations contracted by the Defense Department not only handled logistics like running fuel convoys and staffing chow lines but performed mission-crucial work like training and equipping Afghan security forces. Continue reading
Feb 14 Esper defends shifting defense funds for Trump's border wall By Robert Burns, Associated Press Trump repeatedly promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexico refused. Continue reading
Feb 13 Trump to transfer $3.8 billion from military to fund border wall By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Thursday's move by the Pentagon angered not just Democrats but also GOP defense hawks. Continue reading
Mar 22 Watch 4:27 Another spending bill cliffhanger may come down to a single senator By PBS News Hour The House of Representatives passed the mammoth $1.3 trillion spending bill on Thursday, in order to avert a government shutdown on Friday. What will its fate be in the Senate? And will Sen. Rand Paul force a shutdown? John Yang… Continue watching
Nov 14 House approves $700 billion defense bill By Richard Lardner, Associated Press The funding boost pays for more troops, jet fighters, ships and other weapons needed to halt an erosion of the military’s combat readiness, according to the bill’s backers. Continue reading