Sec. 820. Policy statement on national security funding
591 words·~3 min read·
/bill/114/sconres/11/eah/section-820A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The House finds the following: Russian aggression, the growing threats of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the Middle East, North Korean and Iranian nuclear and missile programs, and continued Chinese investments in high-end military capabilities and cyber warfare shape the parameters of an increasingly complex and challenging security environment. All four current service chiefs testified that the National Military Strategy could not be executed at sequestration levels. The independent and bipartisan National Defense Panel conducted risk assessments of force structure changes triggered by the Budget Control Act of 2011
(BCA)and concluded that in addition to previous cuts to defense dating back to 2009, the sequestration of defense discretionary spending has caused significant shortfalls in U.S. military readiness and both present and future capabilities . The President’s fiscal year 2016 budget irresponsibly ignores current law and requests a defense budget $38 billion above the caps for rhetorical gain. By creating an expectation of spending without a plan to avoid the BCA’s guaranteed sequester upon breaching of its caps, the White House’s proposal compounds the fiscal uncertainty that has affected the military’s ability to adequately plan for future contingencies and make investments crucial for the Nation’s defense. The President’s budget proposes $1.8 trillion in tax increases, in addition to the $1.7 trillion in tax hikes the Administration has already imposed. The President’s tax increases would further burden economic growth and is not a realistic source for offsets to fund defense sequester replacement. In fiscal year 2015, the House-passed budget resolution anticipated $566 billion for national defense in the discretionary base budget for fiscal year 2016. With no necessary statutory change yet provided by Congress, the BCA statute would require limiting national defense discretionary base funding to $523 billion in fiscal year 2016. However, in total with $90 billion, the House Budget estimate for Overseas Contingency Operations funding for the Department of Defense, the fiscal year 2016 budget provides over $613 billion total for defense spending that is higher than the President’s budget request for the fiscal year. This concurrent resolution provides $22 billion above the President’s Five Year Defense Plan and $151 billion above the 10-year totals. This would also be $387 billion above the 10-year total for current levels. The budget resolution recognizes the need to ensure robust funding for national defense while maintaining overall fiscal discipline. The budget resolution prioritizes our national defense and the needs of the warfighter by providing needed dollars through the creation of the Defense Readiness and Modernization Fund . The Defense Readiness and Modernization Fund provides the mechanism for Congress to responsibly allocate in a deficit-neutral way the resources the military needs to secure the safety and liberty of United States citizens from threats at home and abroad. The Defense Readiness and Modernization Fund will provide the chair of the Committee on the Budget of the House the ability to increase allocations to support legislation that would provide for the Department of Defense warfighting capabilities, modernization, a temporary increase in end strength, training and maintenance associated with combat readiness, activities to reach full auditability of the Department of Defense’s financial statements, and implementation of military and compensation reforms. This concurrent resolution encourages an immediate reevaluation of Federal Government priorities to maintain the strength of America’s national security posture. In identifying policies to restructure and stabilize the Government’s major entitlement programs which, along with net interest, will consume all Federal revenue in less than 20 years. The budget also charts a course that can ensure the availability of needed national security resources.