Defense Budget Alert

House Republicans released a 10-year budget blueprint this week -- influenced by the party's anti-deficit contingent -- that delivers mixed news for defense spending and would slash discretionary and entitlement funds.

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee has increased funding for select weapon system projects by nearly $4.5 billion in its mark of the Pentagon's fiscal year 2019 spending bill, a hike achieved in part by diverting $2 billion away from Defense Department-requested projects in order to benefit National Guard programs, aircraft procurement and purchases of additional ships.

The House Appropriations Committee will begin debating a defense spending bill today that would rescind $870 million in funds previously allocated for weapon systems, the largest cut being $115 million from the Navy's Tomahawk missile account.

The Senate has begun debate on legislation that could force a broad review and restructuring of the Pentagon's top acquisition programs as the U.S. military wrestles with plans to prioritize global competitions with China and Russia over counterterrorism missions in the Middle East.

A Senate panel is pushing the Navy to focus on submarine industrial base second- and third-tier vendors in its mark of the fiscal year 2019 defense policy bill.

The White House has registered objections to several reform proposals in the House Armed Services Committee's version of the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill, opposing provisions that would eliminate or transfer the Strategic Capabilities Office, expand the authority of the Defense Department's chief management officer and migrate the capabilities of the Defense Information Systems Agency to other Pentagon entities.

During a May 15 hearing of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, lawmakers queried Army senior leaders about the service’s plans to modernize and called for disciplined execution of its increased funding.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said today his top priority is to ensure the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill is signed into law before Oct. 1 and is accompanied by timely appropriations legislation.

The Defense Department has established a new line in its spending forecast to account for shifting $190 billion from war costs back into the base budget between fiscal years 2020 and 2023, according to the office of the Pentagon's comptroller.