DOD leaders to defend budget on Capitol Hill

By Tony Bertuca / February 19, 2020 at 10:53 AM

Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley are slated to testify Feb. 26 before the House Armed Services Committee.

Overall, the total national defense budget, which includes the Defense Department and other federal agencies like the Energy Department, is $740.5 billion and adheres to a bipartisan spending deal. The Pentagon's FY-21 base budget is $636.4 billion, while its Overseas Contingency Operations account is $69 billion.

The Pentagon's research, development, test and evaluation request is $106.6 billion for FY-21, a $2.3 billion increase above the FY-20 request. Meanwhile, the procurement request is $136.9, a $6.2 billion reduction from the previous year.

But lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee have voiced concerns about various aspects of the budget proposal, including cuts to shipbuilding and military construction.

Additionally, lawmakers on the committee have voiced bipartisan opposition to the Pentagon's decision to divert $3.8 billion from weapons programs toward construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

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