With 89 votes in favour and eight against, the Senate on Monday approved the budget project which plans to allocate about $8.5 billion to anti-missile defence systems, amid the escalation of tensions with North Korea, reports Efe news.
The budget foresees spending of $640 billion to maintain the Pentagon's structure (buying weapons and salaries), and the remaining $60 billion to military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and other places.
The senators excluded a plan proposed by Pentagon Chief General James Mattis to close several military bases and invest some $10 billion in nuclear submarines or warplanes.
This budget bill represents a significant rise over the $619 billion of the current fiscal year and is also slightly higher than the $670 billion that the government of President Donald Trump requested from Congress.
The Senate will now have to reconcile its budget bill with a similar one approved by the lower house a few weeks ago, before it can enter into force on October 1, the first day of the 2018 financial year.