Senate authorizers propose eliminating Air Force pass-through funding

Senate lawmakers have proposed eliminating Air Force pass-through funding -- a practice by which other services and agencies request funds for non-Air Force projects within the service's budget request.

The Senate Armed Services Committee's mark of fiscal year 2019 defense policy legislation, released today, would eliminate the practice, which inflates the Air Force's request by billions of dollars, requiring additional justification when it reveals its budget each year. Instead, it would redirect those requests to a separate, defense-wide fund.

Air Force Under Secretary Matt Donovan has advocated for the change, noting that housing the fund outside of the service's budget would provide more accuracy and accountability.

The pass-through, or non-blue, account typically includes funds for intelligence programs or defense-wide efforts. The service's $194.2 billion FY-19 budget request included $37.9 billion of pass-through funding.