September 9th 2024.
In a letter addressed to key members of Congress on Sunday, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin expressed his concerns about the potential consequences of passing a six-month temporary spending bill. Austin emphasized that such a bill, which would restrict spending to 2024 levels instead of addressing the proposed 2025 budget, would have a detrimental impact on the Defense Department and its operations.
According to Austin, this stop-gap measure would not only harm thousands of defense programs, but also hinder military recruitment at a time when it is just starting to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated, "Asking the department to compete with, let alone manage conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, while under a lengthy CR, ties our hands behind our back while expecting us to be agile and to accelerate progress."
In an attempt to garner support from conservative members of the GOP, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has introduced a bill that would keep the federal government funded for six more months. However, this bill also includes a requirement for states to obtain proof of citizenship when registering individuals to vote. With the budget year ending on September 30, Congress must approve a stop-gap spending bill to avoid a government shutdown just weeks before the upcoming presidential election.
Austin pointed out that the temporary bill would result in a decrease of over $6 billion in defense spending compared to the proposed 2025 budget. This would mean diverting funds from important new priorities and overspending on programs that no longer require it. Additionally, under a continuing resolution, new projects and programs cannot be initiated. This would result in a delay of over $4.3 billion in research and development projects and a postponement of 135 military housing and construction projects worth nearly $10 billion.
Moreover, the progress of crucial nuclear, ship-building, high-tech drone, and other weapons programs would be slowed down. These projects are spread across various congressional districts and could also have an impact on local residents and job opportunities. Furthermore, since the bill would not provide the legally required pay raises for troops and civilians, the department would have to make cuts elsewhere. This could lead to a halt in enlistment bonuses, delay training for National Guard and Reserve forces, and limit the resources available for active-duty troops.
Austin stressed that going ahead with the continuing resolution would not only put unnecessary stress on service members and their families, but also weaken the U.S. military's readiness and ability to respond to unforeseen events. He stated, "subjecting service members and their families to unnecessary stress, empowering our adversaries, misaligning billions of dollars, damaging our readiness, and impeding our ability to react to emergent events."
Austin pointed out that in the last 15 fiscal years, there have been 48 continuing resolutions, totaling almost 1,800 days. He urged Congress to break this pattern of inaction, stating that the U.S. military cannot compete with China "with our hands tied behind our back every fiscal year." While Johnson's bill is not expected to gain support in the Democratic-controlled Senate, some form of temporary measure must be passed by September 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
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