The White House threatened to veto the $530 billion Pentagon budget the House is debating over funding cuts, added monies for a cargo aircraft, and policy provisions.
The House began debating the fiscal year 2012 defense appropriations bill yesterday, but is not poised to consider amendments until after next week’s recess for the chamber.
President Barack Obama’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) yesterday saying the administration “strongly opposes a number of provisions in this bill,” which was crafted by the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee (HAC).
“If a bill is presented to the president that undermines his ability as commander in chief or includes ideological or political policy riders, the president’s senior advisors would recommend a veto,” OMB said.
The HAC’s bill calls for cutting Obama’s defense budget request by $8.9 billion, down to $530 billion, while boosting the administration’s separate war-funding proposal by $842 million, to $118.7 billion. Within the base budget, it would reduce Obama’s request for procurement, from $114.4 billion to $107.6 billion, and research and development, from $75.3 billion to $73 billion.
Those cuts translate to programmatic changes the OMB said yesterday are unacceptable.
“While overall funding limits and subsequent allocations remain unclear pending the outcome of ongoing bipartisan, bicameral discussions between the administration and congressional leadership on the nation’s long-term fiscal picture, the administration has concerns regarding the level of resources the bill would provide for programs necessary to meet national security,” the SAP said.
Those include cuts to Obama’s request for a conventional prompt global strike (CPGS) capability.
“This bill would limit the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) ability to assemble critical CPGS technology data, delay transition from technology development to an acquisition program, and ultimately delay deployment of a CPGS system by two years,” OMB said.
The Obama administration also balked at the HAC’s move to cut requested funding for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), a troubled three-nation air-defense program that under current plans the United States would have to pay $800 million to exit in 2014. The Pentagon planned to stick with the program until 2013 to avoid contract-termination costs, but lawmakers want to kill FY ’12 funding for it.
The SAP said “the level of resources the bill would provide for the MEADS program could trigger unilateral withdrawal by the U.S. from the MEADS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Germany and Italy, which could further lead to a (Department of Defense) DOD obligation to pay all contract costs–a scenario that would likely exceed the cost of satisfying DoD’s commitment under the (memorandum of understanding) MoU” with the two nations.
“This reduction also could call into question DoD’s ability to honor its financial commitments in other binding cooperative MoUs and have adverse consequences for other international cooperative programs,” the OMB argued.
The White House also objected to the addition in the House bill of funding for one of Boeing’s [BA] C-17 cargo aircraft, for which the Pentagon has capped production.
The SAP stated “analyses by DoD have shown that there are already more C-17s in the force and on order than are needed to meet the (Defense) Department’s current and future airlift needs, even under the most stressing situations.”
The OMB also expressed concerned the House bill would not provide advance appropriations for buying Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites, would eliminate Joint Urgent Operational Needs Fund monies, and would cut Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency science and technology program monies.
The SAP further highlighted policy and legislation language the White House finds “problematic,” though none of them are directly tied to weapon systems.
The bill before the House calls for adding $272 million to the Pentagon’s proposal to prevent a planned shut down of the M1A Abrams tank production line–a change not cited as being a concern in the OMB’s SAP. The House measure also would boost the administration’s request for Army research funding for Humvee survivability improvements, monies that would be taken from the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) effort.
The legislation calls for additional funding reductions to the Pentagon’s request not highlighted in the OMB’s statement yesterday, including a $116 million cut to the Army’s proposal for developing a new Ground Combat Vehicle. Other cuts in the House bill include $115 million for the purchase of 12 MQ–8B Firescout unmanned aerial vehicles, $435 million to the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile program, and $524 million to the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System effort.
The HAC’s report on the bill includes several acquisition-related policy provisions, including requirements that the Air Force report modifications to the KC-46A tanker contract to Congress and that the comptroller general review Navy shipbuilding processes.
The House is not expected to weigh amendments to the appropriations bill today, and will do so after it returns from its recess July 6.
The House Rules Committee approved an open rule for the bill on Wednesday, so lawmakers do not have to disclose their planned amendments before offering them on the House floor.
HAC Defense subcommittee (HAC-D) Chairman C.W. “Bill” Young (R-Fla.) lamented during the Rules panel hearing that because his subcommittee was limited to spending $530 billion on the defense budget it couldn’t fund additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
The House bill includes $5.9 billion for 32 F-35s, which breaks down as 19 for the Air Force, seven for the Navy, and six for the Marine Corps. The Pentagon requested funding to buy 32 of the aircraft, but the HAC cut $75 million in requested F-35 development funding.