US House Speaker Mike Johnson has defended a £270 billion ($350 billion) Pentagon funding request, insisting the huge sum is needed to 'fight Communism on our own shores' and confront foreign enemies, as Congress prepares for a bruising battle over who will foot the bill.
The Republican leader used a tense press conference in Washington on Wednesday to frame the package as a national security imperative in an era of mounting domestic and global risks, arguing that the additional money is urgently required even as the country faces significant financial pressures at home.
