House Passes FY2014 Defense Appropriations Bill

The House passed the FY2014 defense appropriations bill this evening.

The bill (H.R. 2397) appropriates $512.5 billion for the Pentagon’s base budget, $3.4 billion less than the request, plus $85.8 billion for overseas contingency operations (e.g., the war in Afghanistan).  It passed 315-109.   The most controversial amendment, by Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) to limit National Security Agency domestic surveillance operations currently permitted by the Patriot Act, was narrowly defeated 217-205.

Only one amendment was directly related to national security space activities and it was withdrawn.  Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) made a strong statement in support of her amendment to add $10 million for Operationally Responsive Space (ORS), but fellow Democrat and ranking member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN), made clear she did not have the votes for it to pass.  He congratulated her on her “dogged” advocacy, but asserted that it was a matter of “reasonable people” disagreeing that ORS was the most cost effective approach to resolving the issues she raised and noted that the Air Force did not request the funds.