Trump signs $700B defense budget into law

[Khafee]

Trump signs $700B defense budget into law
By James LaPorta
Dec. 12, 2017

President Donald Trump signs H.R. 2810, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, during a signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room on December 12, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Trump was joined by, from left to right, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mac Thornberry, R-TX, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph F. Dunford, Vice President Mike Pence and members of the military. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

-- President Donald Trump signed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act into law, a $700 billion defense budget that seeks to increase military spending and operational capabilities.

The provisions in the 2018 NDAA includes measures like the establishment of a new U.S. Space Corps as a separate military service within the Department of the Air Force by 2019 and increases the totality of troop strength within each of the branches of the armed forces.

The measure also includes a 2.4 percent pay raise for troops, and special pay for things like combat and hazardous duty and bonus for re-enlistment contracts.

"In recent years, our military has undergone a series of deep budget cuts that have severely impacted our readiness, shrunk our capabilities, and placed substantial burdens on our warfighters," Trump said Tuesday during a signing ceremony that Vice President Mike Pence, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph F. Dunford,
Secretary of Defense James Mattis, House Armed Services Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry and other military officials and senior cabinet members.

"This legislation will enhance our readiness, expand and modernize our forces and help provide our service members with the tools they need to fight and win. We will fight and win, but hopefully with this we won't have to fight because people will not be wanting to fight with us," Trump said.

The NDAA, among other things, enables the Pentagon to procure 90 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets and 14 Navy ships from defense contractor Huntington Ingalls, in addition to authorizing $12.3 billion for missile defense.

Moreover, the NDAA calls for reform of the Defense Department's acquisition process and requires service contracts be submitted through the Pentagon's budget process in order to determine actual needs and spending patterns within the branches of the U.S. military.

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/20...-defense-budget-into-law/8461513103846/?nll=1

 

[Khafee]

If Government Shuts Down, 'No One Gets Paid,' DoD Comptroller Says
07 Dec 2017
By Richard Sisk

All military personnel, including troops in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, would go without pay in the event of a government shutdown due to the perennial failure of Congress to enact a budget on time, the Pentagon's comptroller said Thursday.
"No one gets paid" stateside and in war zones under a shutdown, Comptroller David Norquist said at a Pentagon news conference. "Payment will not be made until the shutdown is over."

The same goes for hundreds of thousands of Defense Department civilians, Norquist said. Most would be furloughed with the exception of those considered vital for national security.

While the House on Thursday passed another short-term resolution, even if the Senate follows suit, the chambers will have to do the same thing again in two weeks

A day ago, President Donald Trump warned that a shutdown "could happen." He blamed Democrats for failing to compromise on immigration. He said Democrats want "illegal immigrants pouring into our country, bringing with them crime, tremendous amounts of crime."

A shutdown would be the worst-case scenario for national defense but another continuing resolution also would impact readiness, according to Norquist and Dana White, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson.
"I can't emphasize enough how destructive a shutdown would be," Norquist said.

White noted the Pentagon has operated under stopgap measures for the last nine years -- for a total of 1,081 days -- in ways that delayed vital programs and disrupted planning. National security demanded a "robust and predictable" budget process, she said.

However, the budget process often is driven more by the politics of the moment rather than the long-term interests of the nation. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday Democrats were to blame for the continuing resolutions and the threat of a shutdown. She urged them "not to hold this bill hostage."

House and Senate Democrats have been pressing for more spending on health care, infrastructure and other domestic programs to match increases Republicans want for defense.

Although a shutdown on Friday appeared unlikely, Norquist said department contingency plans call for sending out hundreds of thousands of notices to those would be impacted.

He also said even a two-week continuing resolution would have a negative effect on the Pentagon. Norquist cited the additional funding for munitions requested by all combatant commands that was included in the proposed fiscal 2018 budget.
"A CR says 'Stop, wait, don't award that contract,'" Norquest said. The result would be a delay "in meeting the requirements of combatant commanders," he said.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...1&spJobID=440433608&spReportId=NDQwNDMzNjA4S0