WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is threatening a veto of the House Armed Services Committee's version of next year's defense budget that totals $642 billion.
In a statement Tuesday, the administration criticized the overall amount of the legislation, which is $8 billion more than President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to last year. The administration also said the measure imposes restrictions on implementation of a new treaty with Russia to reduce nuclear weapons and reverses cost-saving budget cuts.
Separately, analysts at the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill would raise net costs by $57 billion from 2014-17.
The Republican-controlled House is scheduled to begin debate on the bill on Wednesday and is expected to pass the measure on Friday.
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