1585 , the FY2008 National Defense Authorization Act, thus clearing the bill for the President, who had vetoed the original version of the bill on December 28. 4986 were provisions added to the later bill that would make retroactive to January 1, 2008 a 3.5% pay raise for military personnel and the reauthorization of various bonuses, including enlistment and reenlistment bonuses. 3222 , P.L. FY2008 Defense Funding Status

On November 13, the President signed into law the conference report on the FY2008 Defense Appropriations bill ( H.R. Neither the House-passed nor the Senate-passed versions of H.R. Overview of Administration FY2008 Budget Request

On February 5, 2007, the White House formally released to Congress its FY2008 federal budget request, which included $647.2 billion in new budget authority for national defense. In addition to $483.2 billion for the regular operations of the Department of Defense (DOD), the request includes $141.7 billion for continued military operations abroad, primarily to fund the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, $17.4 billion for the nuclear weapons and other defense-related programs of the Department of Energy, and $5.2 billion for defense-related activities of other agencies. On October 22, the Administration increased its war-costs request by an additional $42.3 billion, bringing the total to $189.3 billion. 21 . The House passed its bill on May 17, 2007, and the Senate began consideration of the bill on July 9, 2007 , pulled the bill from the floor after several days of debate over Iraq amendments, and resumed consideration of the bill on September 17. DOD is expected to request an additional $10 billion more for MRAPs. The bill also authorizes $1 billion for these purposes. Conference Report on H.R. On December 6, House and Senate negotiators filed the conference report on H.R. On December 28, Administration officials announced that the President would veto the bill because of the provision allowing the government of Iraq to be sued in U.S. courts for damages resulting from actions of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. Defense Appropriations: Highlights of the House Bill

The FY2008 defense appropriations bill passed August 5 by the House would provide a total of $459.6 billion for the DOD base budget (excluding funds for military construction), a reduction of $3.55 billion from the corresponding portion of the President's budget request. Among the major reductions included in this total are:
$1.6 billion cut from the Army's $28.9 billion request for operations and maintenance on grounds that the service managed its budget for FY2007 in ways that, according to the Committee, inflated its FY2008 budget request by that amount, without providing Congress any justification for the increase; $1.2 billion, a 5% reduction in the amount requested for service contracts, a savings the committee said could be achieved by more alert Pentagon oversight; $630 million in the Navy and Air Force training budgets for units that had been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan; $510 million to reflect a Pentagon civilian payroll that was smaller than the budget assumed; $551 million trimmed from various budget accounts that had a track record of unspent funds at the end of a fiscal year; $300 million in the Marine Corps procurement budget that the Committee described as "excess to requirements;" $420 million to reduce the cash balance carried by the Army's revolving fund that is used to operate various maintenance and support activities. 3222 , the FY2008 defense appropriations bill, approved September 12 by the Senate Appropriations Committee, provided $448.7 billion in discretionary budget authority, a reduction of $3.5 billion from the President's request for programs falling within the scope of this bill. Defense Appropriations: Highlights of Senate Floor Action

The Senate passed by voice vote, October 4, its version of the FY2008 defense appropriations bill ( H.R. As passed, the bill provided $460.3 billion in discretionary budget authority for DOD and an additional $3 billion for operations of other federal agencies to secure the U.S.-Mexican border. Personnel Costs and Medical Care

The House and Senate versions of H.R.
The President's FY2008 federal budget request, released February 5, 2007, included $647.2 billion in new budget authority for national defense including $483.2 billion for the regular operations of the Department of Defense (DOD), $141.8 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, $17.4 billion for the nuclear weapons and other defense-related programs of the Department of Energy, and $4.8 billion for defense-related activities of other agencies. On July 31, 2007, the President requested an additional $5.3 billion for war-fighting costs, and on October 22 he requested an additional $42.3 billion for that purpose, bringing his total request for FY2008 war costs to $189.3 billion and the total national defense request to $694.8 billion. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the cost of the President's proposal as $696.4 billion.
The House passed on May 17 its version of the defense authorization bill, H.R. 1585, approving $1.2 billion more than the President's then-pending request. The Senate passed its version of the bill October 1. The conference report on the bill, authorizing $696.4 billion—$21 million less than the request—was adopted by the House on December 12 and by the Senate on December 14.
On December 28, the White House announced that the President would "pocket veto" the authorization bill—a procedure that would preclude efforts by Congress to override the veto. The President objected to a provision of the bill that would allow lawsuits in U.S. courts against the current Iraqi government for damages resulting from acts of the Saddam Hussein regime.
On January 16, the House passed H.R. 4986, a version of H.R. 1585 that was modified to allow the President to waive application to Iraq of the provision that he had cited as grounds for his veto. The new version of the bill also would make retroactive to January 1, 2008 a 3.5% pay raise for military personnel and the renewal of authorization for several types of bonuses, including enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses. The Senate passed the bill January 22. Reportedly, the President is expected to sign the bill.
The House passed its version of the FY2008 defense appropriations bill on August 5. The bill, H.R. 3222, provided $448.7 billion in discretionary budget authority for DOD's "base" budget, $3.6 billion less in discretionary budget authority than the $452.2 billion the President requested for operations within the scope of that legislation. The Senate version of H.R. 3222, passed by voice vote on October 4, 2007, provided $449.5 billion in discretionary DOD budget authority plus $3 billion to better protect U.S. borders. Each version of the bill also included $10.9 billion required by a permanent appropriation for military retirees' medical care.
House-Senate conferees on H.R. 3222 concluded on November 6 a conference report that would appropriate $448.7 billion plus $11.6 billion to acquire MRAPs. The House and Senate each adopted the conference report on November 8. On November 13, the President signed the appropriations bill into law (P.L. 110-116). This report will be updated as events warrant.