Congress-passed bill to avert shutdown omits funds for Trump-class battleship

WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday passed a short-term funding bill that will keep money flowing to the Pentagon through Dec. 11 while delaying a White House request to begin development on the Trump-class battleship program.

The stopgap legislation, which averts a government shutdown at the end of the month, was approved in a 370-48 vote. It passed the Senate in August and now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.

Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill will give Congress time to negotiate and pass full-year appropriations bills after the midterm elections in November.

In the meantime, the legislation gives “certainty that our service members will be paid,” he said.

The bill continues funding at current levels for the armed forces while providing “crucial authorities for core research and development programs to ensure our military remains the best armed and equipped service in the world,” Cole said.

It, however, does not include the White House’s $1 billion request to begin acquiring parts for the first Trump-class battleship. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about the lack of a final design for the proposed fleet and its estimated $275 billion price tag.

The White House asked Congress in July to provide money for the battleship under any stopgap funding legislation it passed.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said she was glad the bill, which was drafted by the Senate, denied the Trump administration’s request for “vanity projects” such as the battleships.

Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the committee’s defense subpanel, noted Tuesday that the legislation also does not include any of the administration’s requested supplemental funding for the war in Iran.

Funding for the battleship program could still be provided in other legislation.

The House-passed National Defense Authorization Act, an annual defense policy bill, authorizes $1 billion for the ships while prohibiting production contracts until weapon systems are fully mature.

A draft of a defense appropriations bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee allocates funding for the battleships without conditions but warns that the Navy has yet to finalize a ship design or solidify requirements.

Providing money for construction before achieving those steps is a “principal cause of the cost growth, schedule delay and industrial base instability that afflict Navy shipbuilding,” appropriators said.

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said the bill passed Tuesday instead provides much-needed funding to keep the construction of Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines on track.

“The funding provided by this continuing resolution will keep hiring and supply chain investment strong as shipbuilders and the entire industrial base continue to ramp up submarine construction,” he said in a statement.