The House of Representatives of the US Congress passed a draft defense budget - the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2021 in the amount of $ 740.5 billion, which includes a number of anti-Russian measures. 295 Congressmen voted for the adoption of the project, 125 against.

The draft contains amendments aimed at strengthening sanctions against the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. If the draft budget is adopted in its current form, new sanctions will be imposed against individuals and companies that sell, lease or otherwise provide ships that are involved in the construction of the Russian pipeline. 

Recall that sanctions pressure against Russian gas pipelines is an extremely unpopular measure in Europe. So, on July 17, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the European Union opposes unilateral sanctions and threats of their use by the United States against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, since such measures contravene international law.

In addition, the amendments to the draft defense budget provide for the allocation of $ 3.78 billion to "contain" Russia in Europe as part of the European Containment Initiative (EDI).

The European Containment Initiative is a program to strengthen the US military presence in Europe. It was launched by the Barack Obama administration in 2014 after the reunification of Crimea with Russia and the beginning of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

EDI provides for a permanent U.S. military presence in Europe on a rotational basis through exercises and associated weapons deployment.

Also, the amendments to the defense budget provide for the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 250 million, of which only $ 50 million can be used to supply lethal weapons.

The amendments also stipulate a decrease in the level of military cooperation between the United States and Russia, excluding cases aimed at preventing conflicts.

In addition to Russia, the congress budget also provides for the allocation of funds to contain China. So, it is proposed to send $ 3.6 billion to strengthen the position of the United States in the Pacific region.

Internal disagreements

The FY2021 US Defense Budget Amendments also contain a number of clauses against the latest initiatives by the Trump administration.

So, in the bill passed by the House of Representatives, it is proposed to prohibit the Trump administration from reducing the number of American military contingents in Germany and Afghanistan. In addition, it contains an amendment banning the financing of nuclear tests, which the current administration wanted to revive.

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Congressmen included in the defense budget a ban on the use of funds allocated to the Pentagon to build a wall on the border with Mexico - Trump's multi-year plan to combat the influx of illegal immigrants from Central and South America to the United States.

After adoption by the House of Representatives, the draft defense budget must be approved by the upper house of the US Congress - the Senate, which will present its version of the document with a new set of amendments.

Earlier, the White House said that Donald Trump would veto the bill if the amendment prescribing the renaming of American military bases named after the leaders and commanders of the Confederation is not removed from it.

This issue has also been raised in the United States against the backdrop of massive protests - Democrats and other politicians claim that such names are a manifestation of "racism."

The White House also expressed opposition to other provisions limiting Donald Trump's initiatives.

In turn, the Pentagon spokesman expressed the hope that the US Congress and the White House will overcome their differences, given the particular importance of such an issue as the coordination of the defense budget.

Old logic

The new provisions on sanctions against Russia indicate that the US defense budget has in fact become another "foreign policy tool" promoted by the American establishment, said Konstantin Blokhin, an expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“Today, instead of being less wasteful, calculating how much an initiative is worth, congressmen are allocating more funds for foreign policy. This draft defense budget is, in fact, directed against both potential adversaries in the person of Russia and its NATO partners. There is a feeling that he is being accepted out of despair, ”the expert noted.

This project demonstrates that the American elite has not made any conclusions about how to spend funds, said Konstantin Blokhin.

“The logic of previous administrations continues, that America is a colossus, marching victoriously across the world and not listening to the opinions of others. However, today everything has changed, the time has passed for the use of the ax in international affairs. There have already been enough examples that have shown that American leadership is shrinking, so it is necessary to minimize spending in order to make America more competitive and efficient. Foreign policy, backed by a military budget, should be more flexible, but we still hear the imperial echo, ”the political scientist noted.

Konstantin Blokhin emphasized that Trump can veto the bill, but it can be overcome by two-thirds of the votes of Congress, after which the document will go to the Senate.

In turn, political analyst Alexander Asafov believes that Trump will not overly oppose the provisions of the budget, since his task is to consistently increase it.

“Trump's task is to increase the military budget. Therefore, I do not think that he will impose a veto, but, on the contrary, will expand it in order to once again break the record in numbers and include his interests in these additional articles, be it completing the wall at the border or other tasks, ”the expert noted.