Budget Amendment Sent to Hill

The Obama administration sent a proposed amendment to the pending defense budget Nov. 10, focusing on issues the Pentagon believes would enhance the ability to defeat the Islamic State and foster national security. “This plan would fund the president’s decision to adjust our trop levels to better support the Afghan government’s strategy to secure its nation, and would help enhance Afghanistan’s aviation capacity,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement urging Congress to support it. The proposal also includes provisions that would support State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) efforts to improve security and counter extremism in the Middle East and elsewhere.