This week, Congress approved a policy bill that proposes a whopping $700 billion in Pentagon spending but rejects limits on the president’s authority to wage war around the world.
The National Defense Authorization Act includes $634 billion in core Pentagon spending—$85 billion more than existing budget caps. The bill would then tack on nearly $66 billion dollars in additional spending through the Overseas Contingency Operations Account slush fund. In this policy bill, Congress approves more money for the Pentagon than the president has requested, rejects the administration’s request to starting cutting expenses by closing unneeded military bases, and seeks extra taxpayer dollars to buy weapons the Pentagon did not request.
The good news is that the policy bill only sets aspirational targets for Pentagon spending. We expect the final numbers to be significantly lower when Congress passes spending (or “appropriations”) legislation as soon as December.
Authorizing War
We were disappointed that Congress rejected efforts in both the House and the Senate to attach a provision to this policy bill that would have repealed the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that three presidents have used to engaged in military action around the world (find out how your senators voted on an amendment that would have repealed the 2001 AUMF).
The House also rejected an amendment to this legislation that would have cut off U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, but we were glad to see that Congress did include language requiring more extensive reporting on U.S. support for the Saudi war that has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
The final policy bill does also include a provision requiring the administration to report on civilian casualties from U.S. military action and also notify Congress if the administration loosens policy guidelines on the use of military force.
A New Nuclear Arms Race
Our FCNL lobbyists were particularly disappointed that the final policy bill paves the way for developing a new, ground-based cruise missile that, if ultimately built, would violate the Cold-War era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This missile would have to be hosted by European or Asian allies, but none of our allies have asked for this missile, much less agreed to base it.
The legislation also includes a provision that would undermine U.S. leadership in the world: without a single hearing or any debate, the bill would prevent the United States from paying its full share to run the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, even though it has been a key national security tool for building an international consensus around North Korea’s forbidden nuclear program. For years, bipartisan majorities in Congress have provided ongoing support for the vital role that the CTBTO plays in the world. This bill would stifle America’s voice and tie its diplomats’ hands.
Your Voice Matters
Setting a funding target is one thing. In the next few weeks, Congress will be making decisions about what levels of spending to actually approve for the Pentagon. Let your members of Congress know that you oppose bills that would grow Pentagon spending to $700 billion this year and that you support matching any military spending hike with dollar-for-dollar increases in non-defense discretionary spending.
