Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee passed a $576 billion Defense Appropriations Bill for FY 2016. The White House has vowed to stop this and other defense-related legislation unless Congress agrees to increase domestic spending. Of note, the bill provides funding for only a 1.3 percent military pay raise in January, and it would allow the Administration to cut BAH by another four percent. However, the subcommittee rejected significant TRICARE military pharmacy copayments as had been proposed by the Senate Armed Services Committee. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the bill tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Senate continues to consider amendments to its version of the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Bill.
The House is expected to take up its defense appropriations bill later this week. The House has already backed the 2.3 percent military pay raise for January called for by current law, so this will be a House-Senate conference item later this year.
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