U.S. Senate Committee Approves Doubling Funds for Iron Dome
Bill would provide $621.6 million for Israeli missile defense, including $351 million for the Iron Dome anti-missile system.
A United States congressional committee on Tuesday approved a spending
bill that would double the funding for Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system, Fox News reported.
The defense spending bill approved by the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee would provide $621.6 million for Israeli missile defense, including $351 million for the Iron Dome system.
The bill still has to be approved by the full Senate.
The allocation for Israel is only a small part of the full bill, which would provide the U.S. armed forces with $549.3 billion for the fiscal year beginning October 1.
The bill spares several of the weapons programs that the Pentagon had proposed scaling back or eliminating, including the A-10 Warthog close-air support program and the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.
Senator Dick Durbin, chairman of the subcommittee, said the bill would also provide $25 million to fund a competition to develop a new domestic rocket engine. Reliance on a Russian-built version made no sense, Durbin said.
Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe today
Subscribe now
