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Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has made a 180-degree turn on defense spending weeks before he is scheduled to launch his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

The Kentucky Republican has offered an amendment to the Senate GOP budget that would increase total spending at the Pentagon for fiscal 2016 to $696 billion.

Paul would add $76 billion to Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzis (R-Wyo.) total for spending at the Pentagon.

Paul wants to increase defense spending over the next two years by $190 billion.

Its a reversal for Paul, who proposed significant defense spending cuts in the first budget he introduced after coming to the Senate in 2011.

Enzis budget keeps the Pentagons baseline budget at $523 billion but increases a separate account used to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to $96 billion.

The Paul amendment doesnt specify whether his funding would be added to the baseline budget or the war account.

Republicans in the House and Senate have been worried the Pentagon will not have enough money once spending ceilings under a 2011 budget deal go back into place on Oct. 1. They have pressed for an end to the budget caps but have been opposed by fiscal conservatives. The Obama administration wants to lift the ceilings on defense and nondefense spending.

Time magazine first reported Pauls amendment to dramatically boost defense funding.

Paul would offset the cost of the funding increase by cutting foreign aid, science and technology funding, natural resources and environment funding and education, training, employment and social services funding.

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Paul seeks $76B boost for defense