December 05, 2017
Congress, cut the continuing resolutions so Defense can do its job
As we once again find ourselves hurtling towards the expiration of yet another continuing resolution at the end of this week, with no long-term budget deal in sight, it seems an opportune time to review the very real harms to the nation’s safety done by Congress’s inability to perform its most basic Article 1 function — appropriating funds to run the government — on time or with any semblance of predictability.
Democrats and Republicans agree that the 2011 Budget Control Act has been a failure, and that Congress should return to regular order in the budget process. We — a Democrat (and former Pentagon hand) and a Republican (and former Hill staffer) — represent this bipartisan consensus. While we do not necessarily agree on how big the defense budget should be, we both believe that national security requires stability and predictability in defense budgeting.
The Department of Defense has received an average of $23.6 billion less in the base budget per year since the 2011 Budget Control Act caps took effect in fiscal year 2013. In theory, the Budget Control Act should have at least provided stability in exchange for this significant reduction in funding. By creating annual caps on defense discretionary spending, the DOD would at least know how much money it could expect year to year.
Read the full commentary in The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
Fireside Chat with The Honorable David L. Norquist
Commentary
On May 30, the Center welcomed The Honorable David L. Norquist for a conversation on the 2020 Defense Budget Request with Susanna V. Blume. Their discussion focused on whether...
By Susanna V. Blume & David L. Norquist
-
Strategy to Ask
Reports
Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan promised a “masterpiece” for 2020. The critical question this report asks is: Has he made good on that promise?...
By Susanna V. Blume
-
What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Defense Budget Masterpiece
Commentary
In December of 2017, before the Department of Defense released its 2019 budget request, then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan tried to manage expectations about it...
By Susanna V. Blume & Chris Dougherty
-
Dear Pentagon: It’s Not How Big Your Budget Is. It’s How You Use It.
Commentary
Over the past two months, unusually public negotiations between the White House and the U.S. Department of Defense on the 2020 defense budget request have bounced from $733 bi...
By Susanna V. Blume
