Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown warned Congress this week that operating under a yearlong continuing resolution “would be historically costly to the Joint Force,” as Military.com reported.
As it struggles to finish its appropriations work, Congress has extended current government spending levels for defense into early February. By that point, DOD will have spent about four months operating at the previous fiscal year’s budget levels.
That budget freeze is already causing problems for the Pentagon, which had not anticipated the current global situation when it first asked for that level of funding in early 2022, as On Base reported.
If Congress chooses to continue fiscal year 2023 funding for the rest of fiscal year 2024, it would impact recruitment, retention, military construction projects, shipbuilding, ship maintenance and other DOD priorities, Brown wrote in his Wednesday letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“We owe our service members the tools they need to be successful,” Brown wrote. “We have asked them to modernize and accelerate the future capabilities they need to continue to deter and project credible combat power. We need full appropriations to stay ahead of pacing, acute and unforeseen challenges.”
House Republican leaders and Senate Democratic leaders have not yet decided on top-level budget figures to guide the final passage of the 12 annual appropriations bills.
DOD photo by Air Force Senior Airman Cesar J. Navarro
