US House Draft Defense Bill Funds 90 F-35 Jets, 12 More Than White House Request
The US House Appropriations Committee recommended funding for the procurement of 90 F-35 fighter jets for fiscal year 2020, twelve more than requested by the Trump administration, a draft defense spending bill revealed on Tuesday
"The FY2020 Procurement recommendation... funds 90 F-35 aircraft, 12 more than the request ($8.7 billion)," the committee said in a press release accompanying the budget.
The bill provides funds for the Defense Department's operations and maintenance, readiness activities, research and development, equipment modernization and health and quality-of-life programs for troops and military families.
The recommendation provides $690.2 billion in new discretionary spending for the Defense Department, marking an increase of $15.8 billion above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level, and $8 billion below the requested funds.
The draft bill also said it prohibits the transfer of F-35 jets to Turkey to prevent the exposure of cutting-edge US technology to Russian missile systems.