Representative Roscoe Bartlett

Congress provides funding for national defense programs in several annual appropriations measures, the largest of which is the defense appropriations bill. Congress also acts every year on a national defense authorization bill, which authorizes programs funded in several regular appropriations measures. The authorization bill addresses defense programs in almost precisely the same level of detail as the defense-related appropriations, and congressional debate about major defense policy and funding issues often occurs mainly in action on the authorization.

The annual defense appropriations bill provides funds for military activities of the Department of Defense (DOD), including pay and benefits of military personnel, operation and maintenance of weapons and facilities, weapons procurement, and research and development, as well as for other purposes. Most of the funding in the bill is for programs administered by the Department of Defense, though the bill also provides: (1) relatively small, unclassified amounts for the Central Intelligence Agency retirement fund and intelligence community management, (2) classified amounts for national intelligence activities administered by the National Intelligence Director, by the CIA, and by other agencies as well as by DOD, and (3) very small amounts for some other agencies.

The President's FY2009 federal budget request, released February 4, 2008, included $611.1 billion in new budget authority for national defense. This total included $515.4 billion in discretionary new budget authority for the base budget of the Department of Defense (DOD) -- i.e., activities not associated with combat operations in

Iraq

and

Afghanistan

. The budget included an additional $2.9 billion in mandatory spending for the DOD base budget and $22.8 billion for defense costs of the Department of Energy and other agencies. In addition to the $541.1 billion requested for the base line (i.e., non-war cost) budget, the request also included an unallocated placeholder of $70 billion to cover war costs in the first part of FY2009.

On April 30 the Senate Armed Services Committee marked up its version of the FY2009 defense authorization bill (S. 3001), authorizing the appropriation of $612.5 billion in new budget authority for national security programs, including $542.5 billion for the base line budget and a $70 billion allowance for war-related costs. The committee approved without major change the funding requests for several programs that have been the subject of controversy, including the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) and the Navy's DDG-1000 destroyer. On September 17, the Senate passed the authorization bill by a vote of 88-8. Because of a controversy over earmarks, the Senate considered only four amendments to the bill, adopting three.

The House had passed its version of the defense authorization bill (H.R. 5658) on May 22 authorizing $612.5 billion, including $70 billion for war-related costs. The bill would deny authorization of the $2.5 billion requested for a third destroyer of the DDG-1000 class, allocating those funds instead to buy several other ships. A compromise between the House and Senate bills, authorizing $611.1 billion, was worked out informally by the House and Senate Armed Services committees. It was passed by the House September 24 as an amended version of the Senate-passed S. 3001 by a vote of 392-39. The Senate passed the compromise bill September 27 by voice vote, clearing the measure for the President.

The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its version of the FY2009 Defense Appropriations Bill on July 30, recommending a total of $487.7 billion, in discretionary funds, $4 billion less than the President requested for that bill. The Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its version of the appropriations Bill on September 10, also recommending $487.7 billion.

Neither chamber held full committee markups of a FY2009 defense appropriations bill, and neither chamber considered a bill on the floor. Instead, a compromise version of the subcommittee bills -- in effect, a conference agreement on the FY2009 defense appropriations bill -- was incorporated into H.R. 2638, the FY2009 continuing resolution, which the House passed September 24 by a vote of 370-58. The Senate passed the bill September 27 by a vote of 78-12, clearing the measure for the President. The final bill provides $487.7 billion in regular FY2009 defense discretionary appropriations and $25.0 billion in military construction appropriations. This report will be updated as developments warrant.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 by an overwhelming vote of 392-39. The final legislation—which reconciles the House and Senate versions of the annual defense authorization bill—authorizes $531.4 billion in discretionary budget authority for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. Additionally, the legislation authorizes $68.6 billion in supplemental funding to support current operations in

Iraq

Afghanistan

and elsewhere in the Global War on Terrorism during the first few months of Fiscal Year 2009. During the short window to negotiate the final legislation, Republicans were successful in their attempts to strengthen specific provisions while stripping or weakening Democrat policies or program cuts that would harm

America

’s Armed Forces or draw a presidential veto.

I believe this bill does an excellent job of meeting the needs of our solders, sailors, aviators, and marines. It takes into account the impact of continuing downward pressures on world oil supplies by extending the House commitment to expand nuclear propulsion for shipbuilding from next generation cruisers to future amphibious assault vessels. The bill fully funds the next generation carrier, the next VIRGINIA class submarine, and provides advance procurement to support construction of two VIRGINIA class submarines per year and a DDG-51 destroyer. The bill also authorizes and fully funds two T-AKEs and two Littoral Combat Ships.

Please click the House Armed Services Seapower and Expeditionary Warfare Subcommittee or Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee link to see what has been going on in my Subcommittees and what has been recently resolved between the House Armed Service Committees in the House and Senate.