9/12/2017

BUDGET/DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/MILITARY: “Defense Secretary James Mattis is warning Congress that a long-term continuing resolution to fund the government will lead to irrecoverable lost training time, delayed ship maintenance and critical personnel gaps.
In a letter to defense committee leaders obtained by CNN, Mattis detailed the effects of a continuing resolution, which Congress frequently uses to keep the government funded at the previous year’s spending levels.
President Donald Trump signed a three-month CR into law last week as part of a package that included aid for Hurricane Harvey relief and a three-month extension of the debt ceiling.
But the military objects to CRs because they aren’t allowed to start new programs and are restricted in moving money between spending accounts…
The military’s objections to a continuing resolution are nothing new, as it’s become standard for Congress to pass a CR to start the fiscal year, which begins in October, before approving a full-year appropriations bill later on.
But with the Trump administration seeking more than $50 billion in additional funding for the military compared to last year, a CR creates even more uncertainty for the Pentagon’s budget this year.”

-Jeremy Herb, “Mattis: Budget stopgap will significantly harm military,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Sept. 12, 2017 10:29am