On a scale of 1 to 10, President Trump’s nominee for defense secretary told the Senate getting a defense budget passed is an 11.
Without a budget, Army Secretary Mark Esper warned, the military’s new initiatives and modernization efforts will both fail. He warned the Senate Armed Services Committee at his confirmation hearing Tuesday against passing what is known as a continuing resolution, a stop-gap measure to fund the Pentagon.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it that we get this budget number?” asked Mississippi senator Roger Wicker.
“Eleven,” Esper said.
The Republican-led Senate and the Democrat-led House have passed competing defense budget bills for the 2020 fiscal year that need to be reconciled before they can be sent to the White House for President Trump’s signature. At the heart of the debate are the bill’s topline funding numbers. The bipartisan Senate version calls for $750 billion in military spending, matching the Trump administration’s request. The House version is $733 billion and includes several so-called “poison pill” provisions that caused every House Republican to vote against it.
The fate of the bill will be decided in a conference between the Senate and House, but if an agreement cannot be made or Trump refuses to sign the final version, the Pentagon will not be funded come October. A continuing resolution is usually used as a temporary solution in these situations, but Esper warned that would have major consequences.
“Under a CR, new starts are prohibited. So you would not be able to begin a new program, launch a new program,” Esper said.
Training, manning, equipping, and maintenance are also harmed, due to the fact that the military has no stable, reliable funding.
“In many cases, you cannot make that up. So instead, you are trapped in a situation where you are likely spending fewer dollars on legacy items,” Esper said.
