House Approves Defense Spending Bill

June 21, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, voted last night to approve legislation providing $409 billion for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006, H.R. 2863, allocates $363.7 billion in base funds and $45.3 billion in emergency funds to cover operations costs in the war on terror for six months. The House passed the legislation with broad bipartisan support, 398-19.

“Passage of this bill represents Congress’s continued support for fighting terrorism across the globe,” Dreier said. “This bill contains the funding necessary to continue training Iraqi security forces (ISF) so that they can work to provide safety and security for the Iraqi people. By aiding the Iraqis in their desire for a secure and democratic future, we will defeat the terrorists who seek to return Iraq to despotism and tyranny. We are also helping to rebuild the infrastructure of Iraq, which was destroyed by years on conflict and plunder by Saddam Hussein. Our mission is to provide the Iraqi people with a peaceful, secure, democratic future. They are taking great steps forward with the support of our troops. We should all be proud of what they have accomplished thus far. I believe it is a strategy that will lead to success.”

The $45.3 billion in emergency funds included in the bill will be used to cover six months of costs in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as the replacement of equipment losses and the training of security forces. Of this emergency funding, $1.2 billion is included specifically for force protection items such as up-armored Humvees and next-generation body armor. The bill also funds a 3.1 percent military pay raise and $20 million for the military’s Family Advocacy program to fight domestic violence.

Locally, the bill provides $9 million for the ANGELFIRE sensor-inceptor package manufactured by Chang Industry of La Verne. The ANGELFIRE package protects military helicopters and vehicles against the threat of rocket-propelled grenades, or RPG’s. It also provides $8 million for Monrovia-based AeroVironment’s Global Observer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. The Global Observer is a communications and networking portal that can fly at high altitudes for long periods of time in support of critical military missions. Additionally, the City of Hope Nation Medical Center in Duarte will receive $4 million for biomedical research.