US House Proposes $847 Billion Defence Budget, Senate Yet To Consider

The USD 847 billion National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) now goes to the Senate for consideration after the US House of Representatives passed the annual defence authorisation bill.

According to Xinhua, the NDAA includes a topline of USD 817 billion for the Pentagon and approximately USD 30 billion for nuclear activities overseen by the US Department of Energy.

The United States has been heavily chastised for its large military spending.

In 2021, the United States' military spending will account for nearly 40 per cent of global expenditure, more than the following nine countries combined.

On Wednesday, Andrew Lautz, Director of Federal Policy for the National Taxpayers Union, a US taxpayer advocacy organisation, wrote that Congress is rushing to pass the NDAA over the next week or two weeks before they go home for the holidays.

Lautz said that Christmas will arrive early for the nation's military brass, who frequently get to spend without consequence from lawmakers who control their purse strings and defence contractors, who benefit greatly from taxpayer-funded largesse.

China, India and the United States have the largest militaries, whereas the United States spends the most on defence than any other country. Its military spending includes all regular activities of the Department of Defense, war spending, the nuclear weapons programme, international military assistance and other Pentagon-related spending.