Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013

H.R.5856
Introduced: 
May 25, 2012
112
Second
August 2, 2012
Placed on Senate calendar

This annual piece of legislation approves funding of the Dept. of Defense. It passed in the House with $519.2 b. of appropriations for the Defense Dept.’s discretionary budget but did not pass the Senate. Had it become law, it would have represented an increase of $1.1 b. over FY 2012 funding for the Defense Dept. and $3.1 b. over what the president requested for FY 2013.

Concerning the Middle East, the executive request for FY 2013 Defense Dept. funding states that ‘U.S. policy will emphasize gulf security to prevent Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon capability and counter its destabilizing policies. The United States will do this while standing up to Israel’s security and a comprehensive Middle East peace.’

Despite overall cuts in defense spending, the bill maintains substantial aid to Israel’s missile defense programs, and includes a new provision for missile defense production and research to be performed in the U.S.

The military aid to Israel appropriated in this bill is channeled through Israeli Cooperative Programs and is focused on missile defense programs. A total of $948.736 m. is provided for all Israeli Cooperative Programs. Of that total, $680 m. is for the procurement of the Iron Dome defense system, $149.679 m. for the Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense program (including $39.2 m. for production activities of SRBMD missiles in the U.S. and in Israel), $74.692 m. for an upper-tier component to the Israeli Missile Defense Architecture, and $44.365 m. for the Arrow System Improvement Program. The bill would also guarantee $680 m. for the Iron Dome in each fiscal year from 2013 to 2015.

The Senate modified the bill to appropriate $211 m. for the Iron Dome and removed the guarantee of future appropriations. A reconciliation cmte. was never formed to work out these differences, and the FY 2013 budget was eventually passed in a continuing resolution (*H. J. Res. 117 of 9/10/12).

There was 1 relevant amendment to this bill:

*H.A. 1418, introduced on 7/19/12 by Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ), no cosponsors.
This amendment would prohibit the use of funds to be obligated or expended for assistance for the government of Iran, the government of Syria, Hamas, Hizballah, and the Muslim Brotherhood. It was agreed to by voice vote on 7/19/12.

See also: H.R. 1 of 2/11/11, H.R. 1473 of 4/11/11, H.R. 2055 of 5/31/11, H.R. 2219 of 6/16/11, and H.R. 3671 of 12/14/11.

Last major action: 8/2/12 placed on Senate legislative calendar (7/19/12 passed in House 326–90).

More info

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