A War Over the War Budget

摘要

Lawmakers in both chambers are attempting to alleviate the pressure on defense spending next year by relying on the largely unconstrained war budget to serve as an overflow valve for tens of billions of dollars in programs that would ordinarily be funded out of the Pentagon's base budget accounts. The so-called overseas contingency operations accounts have been used quietly-yet repeatedly-over the years to pay for items, including new aircraft, that many budget watchdogs believe should be paid out of the regular budget. But this year's effort by hawks on Capitol Hill may be the most brazen use yet of the war accounts and would almost certainly squash hopes of ending the Defense Department's heavy reliance on OCO as the operations in Afghanistan wind down. However, it is also a clear signal that a bipartisan budget deal giving the Pentagon at least some relief from the stringent caps on the 2016 budget is simply not within grasp. The war accounts are not subject to the same caps that affect the base budget. Indeed, Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), a longtime watchdog of government spending, initially blasted the strategy to move billions to OCO as a "gimmick." Just days later, however, he had changed his tune, saying it was the only way to get the military the funds it needs next year.