US budget deal paves way for defence spending increase
The US senate has agreed on a two-year $400bn (€321.66bn) budget deal which would provide huge increases on defence and domestic spending.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell was joined on the senate floor by top Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York as he announced the pact. The measure would contain almost $300bn (€241.81bn) over current limits on defence and domestic accounts.
Mr McConnell said the measure would rewrite existing defence limits which had "hamstrung our armed forces and jeopardised our national security".
The measure also contains almost $90bn (€71.98bn) in overdue disaster aid and an increase in the US government borrowing cap that would prevent a first-ever default on its obligations.
