Rep. Elaine Luria proposes $37 billion boost to defense bill for new ships, planes

The Pentagon needs to spend more to keep up with inflation and keep the Navy from shrinking, Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Norfolk, has been saying for years.

And now, she’s proposing a $37 billion boost to its proposed budget.

She and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, want to amend the Department of Defense spending plan for next year with money for new ships and more Navy and Marine Corps planes. They want to add $7.4 billion to the $773 billion Pentagon budget to compensate for rising inflation, including $1.4 billion to boost basic housing allowances, bonuses and commissary supports.

For the fleet, they propose an additional $1.2 billion to fund one more destroyer than the Pentagon proposed for fiscal year 2023, and $2.4 billion for an additional frigate, tanker and two expeditionary medical ships. None of these are types built at Newport News Shipbuilding.

They also propose adding $318 million to keep five of the new littoral combat ships the Navy wants to decommission and $58 million for two semi-submersible expeditionary transport dock ships also on the list for mothballing.

The amendment calls for $2.9 billion for eight more F/A-18 fighter jets, two more E-2D reconnaissance planes, five more C-130 cargo planes and two more V-22 Ospreys, as well as four additional Air Force electronic warfare planes.

Luria and Golden also want to add $1.6 billion for research and development work, $250 million for shipbuilding infrastructure, $1.7 billion to restore and maintain facilities and $550 million for security assistance for Ukraine.

Other major spending increases would go for air and missile defense, munitions plants and military nuclear programs.

Dave Ress, 757-247-4535, dress@dailypress.com