Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked the defense spending bill for the third time. Their move appears to be part of a strategy to hold defense hostage to domestic spending increases.
The Obama administration reportedly put together a five-page memo about blocking increases for the Pentagon unless they are accompanied by increases on other programs. The memo goes so far as to discuss the personal feelings and potential weaknesses of Republican leaders, and outlines a plan to manipulate them to prevent Congress adding an extra $18 billion in funding to an account for war spending.
It seems odd for Defense Secretary Ash Carter to lobby against an increase to his own budget, but there’s more to this controversy than meets the eye. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., wants to use the Overseas Contingency Operations account to add to defense spending because it doesn’t count against the budget caps that are restraining both defense and non-defense spending. The White House wants to stop him so defense and non-defense budgets can be tied together as hostages. To that end, Senate Democrats are demanding a package that would increase both.
The memo, addressed to Carter, recommends tactics for undermining congressional leaders that step right up to if not past the line that government agencies must respect when lobbying for their own budgets. Some of its recommendations have already been put into play. For example, the Pentagon decided in July to make an unusual public spectacle of administration objections to the defense authorization bill, rather than conducting the customary quiet negotiations with Congress.
Another recommendation appears to mirror the “echo chamber” strategy by which the White House duped credulous journalists into supporting Obama’s nuke deal with Iran. The idea in the memo is to keep outside experts at think tanks “informed” about the need for a particular funding mechanism. Those experts can in turn advocate for that mechanism when contacted for their opinions.
A third recommendation is to frame an increase in overall defense spending as a “raid” on war funds, that would somehow diminish what is available for operations against the Islamic State. This is out-and-out rubbish.
All too often defense bills are larded with special-interest provisions because they are considered “must-pass” legislation. This is as true this year as any. But it’s not as though the Obama administration is arguing in good faith for tighter controls on defense spending. Their only objection is that by funding defense in this way and not in another, Congress can indefinitely avoid a corresponding increase in non-defense spending. That’s what makes the Pentagon memo so appallingly cynical. If Democrats keep this up, many service members could end up going without their paychecks.
And it will be Obama’s fault. In addition to his other responsibilities, he is the commander in chief of the U.S. military. His willingness to hog-tie necessary military spending is thus an especially irresponsible dereliction.
His stategy adds insult to injury. Obama has put extra pressure on Pentagon resources with a strategy against the Islamic State that has been costly, considering its meager results. The financial pressure is sure to continue for some time, as even Obama does not expect success in Syria and Iraq until after he has left office.
It is one thing to insist on fiscal probity within the Pentagon, quite another to prevent proper national defense until the majority party caves in and allows further federal overspending on domestic programs.
The Constitution obliges Obama to go to Congress each year, hat in hand. If he wants to increase domestic spending, he ought to do it through the normal channels, by compromising with the coequal elected branch of government that controls the federal purse strings. He and Senate Democrats may have the power to shut down the Defense Department to get their way, but that doesn’t mean it’s a wise or responsible thing to do.
