The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a $675 billion defense spending bill that Republican Senator Susan Collins says is good news for Maine.
“The navy must sustain an aggressive lead growth rate for large surface combatants in fiscal year 2020 and beyond in order to project strength,” says Collins.
The bill would spend $20 billion more than the current budget calls for, and Collins says it includes money for three Burke Class destroyers that could be built at Bath Iron Works.
“Shipyard investment acceleration will help the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and our other public shipyards keep our nations submarines at sea for years to come.”
She says it would also include funding for improvements at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. The bill also includes money for more airplanes, tanks and other military hardware, and for a pay increase of 2.6 percent for the military.
The House has yet to take up its version of the defense bill and then the two versions will need to be reconciled.
Originally published 12:15 p.m.
