House leaders unveiled a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill early Wednesday morning that provides additional military resources and denies visa waiver status to anyone who has traveled to terrorist hotspots, including Iraq and Syria, over the last five years, according to a summary of the 2,009-page document. For the Air Force, the omnibus spending bill provides $15.7 billion in aircraft procurement, $2.9 billion in missile procurement, and $1.7 billion for ammunition procurement in the base budget. “The President’s team is still reviewing the text of the omnibus, but it appears to meet the priorities the President outlined first at the beginning of this year, and later in the budget framework that the Democrats and Republicans agreed on two months ago, which bolsters our security, grows our economy, and reflects our values,” White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman told The Hill in a statement. The House passed a short-term measure on Wednesday that avoids a government shutdown and gives Congress until Dec. 22 to approve the omnibus. The House is expected to vote on the spending bill Friday.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3