House Republicans Face Opposition to Pentagon Funding Plan Amidst Government Shutdown Looming

As the current continuing resolution (CR) set to expire on Friday night, House Republicans' plan to fund the Pentagon for the rest of fiscal year 2011 as part of another short-term extension to the rest of the budget is facing significant opposition. President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, have expressed their disapproval of the one-week CR, which includes a complete FY '11 defense budget. The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee unveiled this latest CR on Monday night.

The federal government has been funded under short-term CRs since FY '11 began last October, keeping FY '11 funding at FY '10 levels and preventing new contracts from starting. President Obama emphasized that there is no excuse to extend the current CR further, as he met with congressional leaders at the White House yesterday. The new HAC proposal is similar to a previous budget plan passed by the House on February 19, which drew criticism from Democrats due to large cuts to Obama's FY '11 federal budget request.

Key Takeaways:

• The House Appropriations Committee's new CR proposes funding the Department of Defense (DoD) with $515.8 billion in base defense spending, a 2.9 billion decrease from Obama's FY '11 request but a 1.5 percent, or $7.6 billion, increase over FY '10 levels.
• The CR cuts all earmarks, amounting to $4.2 billion, while including $102.1 billion for defense procurement and $75 billion for research and development.
• The Pentagon funding in the new HAC proposal does not include funding for the F-35 alternate engine developed by General Electric and Rolls-Royce.
• A bipartisan group of 12 senators has called for a full Pentagon budget to be included in any measure extending the current CR, citing concerns that operating under a CR would hurt procurement and research programs, as well as readiness.
• The Senate rejected two CRs on March 9 that had full FY '11 defense appropriations bills attached to them, both of which cut defense spending.
• President Obama is working with congressional leaders to reach an agreement on a full-year federal budget for FY '11.
• The Pentagon is preparing for the possibility of a government shutdown, with Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn working on guidance for essential missions that would continue.

Statistics:

• The Pentagon's base defense spending would be $515.8 billion under the new HAC proposal, a 2.9 billion decrease from Obama's FY '11 request.
• The CR includes $102.1 billion for defense procurement and $75 billion for research and development.
• The F-35 alternate engine, developed by General Electric and Rolls-Royce, would not be funded under the new HAC proposal.
• The bipartisan group of 12 senators has called for a full Pentagon budget to be included in any measure extending the current CR.
• The Senate rejected two CRs on March 9 that had full FY '11 defense appropriations bills attached to them, both of which cut defense spending.
• The Pentagon is preparing for the possibility of a government shutdown, with 10,000 private-sector jobs tied to naval programs in jeopardy.

Sources:

• [Article] "House Republicans Face Opposition to Pentagon Funding Plan Amidst Government Shutdown Looming" by Emelie Rutherford, undated.
• [Article] "Obama Opposes House GOP Plan to Fund Pentagon in Latest Short-Term Bill" by Emily Cahn, TPM, March 16, 2011
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