Despite crippling cuts to social services due to sequestration, the 2013 Defense Appropriations Bill -- valued at $857 billion, including veterans’ benefits and foreign military aid -- was signed into law. The bill restored many of the automatic cuts called for under sequestration and permitted continued funding of several procurement projects --
INFOGRAPHIC: What The Defense Budget Can Buy
Defense spending continues at enormous levels despite a budget crunch in many critical sectors of public spending elsewhere.