August 21, 2017
Cut the budget caps: The US needs to properly fund our military
Amidst the return of the Maverick and late-night health care votes in the Senate, it is easy to lose sight of the other major development to happen on the Hill last couple weeks — the House passed an appropriations bill that busts budget caps by $63.5 billion. The defense appropriation bill in the Senate, which has yet to hit the floor, exceeds caps by $1.8 billion. If either are enacted, they would trigger sequestration, the automatic cuts required by the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA).
The draconian budget caps have cut defense funding by $78 billion since President Obama’s 2012 budget. The congressional defense committees have written budgets that realistically address how to rebuild the military but the threat of sequestration threatens the success of those budgets.
Read the full op-ed in The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: Getting Force Design Right in the Next National Defense Strategy
Commentary
Biden should narrowly focus the DoD on high-end deterrence against China and Russia instead of strategic competition or managing an expanded array of lesser threats....
By Stacie Pettyjohn & Becca Wasser
-
Presentation is key: Why the Pentagon’s budget data needs a makeover
Commentary
As technology advances, Congress and the DoD need to not only focus investments on capabilities, but also on DoD processes and organizational culture....
By Jennie Matuschak
-
How Air Warfare is Changing
Podcast
Guests Stacie Pettyjohn and Becca Wasser join Defense One Radio to describe lessons from Iraq, Azerbaijan, Gaza, and more in the future of air warfare. Listen to the full con...
By Stacie Pettyjohn & Becca Wasser
-
Confronting Chaos: a New Concept for Information Advantage
Commentary
The side that can deal with chaos and operate more effectively with degraded systems will likely seize the initiative....
By Chris Dougherty
