DAMAGING DEFENSE: How a CR Will Cut Defense
Washington, DC,
November 20, 2019
This week Congress will kick the can down the road once again and enact another wasteful Continuing Resolution. As Secretary of Defense Esper said last week, "CRs disrupt training, impede readiness, delay maintenance, impose uncertainty on the workforce, & induce inefficient & constrained contracting practices." These stop-gap measures do more than just waste taxpayer dollars, they deny our troops and the country tangible resources needed to keep America safe. A year-long CR would impose FY19 funding levels on the Pentagon that are billions less than the Appropriations or Authorizing bills being debated in Congress for the current fiscal year. A year-long CR would essentially cut billions from what senior commanders and national security leaders have testified is required to keep our country safe. Below are examples of those cuts when compared with the FY20 Authorization and Appropriations bills. A year-long CR will: Cut at least $5.6 billion from Deterring Russia and China: America is losing our competitive edge against Russia and China. We urgently need to invest in new platforms and technologies as both adversaries work to reshape the global order for their benefit. A year-long CR would not only hamper important work in the near term, in many cases it could put America years behind Russia and China. This includes 5G and hypersonic research, extended range artillery, next generation combat vehicles, advanced helicopters and aircraft, improved night vision devices, unmanned surface vehicles, future ship designs, and artificial intelligence development. |