The House Armed Services Committee reportedly is proposing $680 million in additional funds for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
A number of news outlets reported that the Republican-majority Armed Services Committee plans to increase the funding in addition to the $205 million appropriated under President Obama’s 2013 defense budget. A final figure has yet to be determined.
The Iron Dome Support Act was introduced in March by Rep. Howard Berman (D-San Fernando Valley), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the committee’s chairwoman, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). The act currently has 66 co-sponsors.
The Armed Services Committee was scheduled to begin marking up the defense budget April 26. — jta