McCain, Thornberry urge budget negotiators to back defense boost

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) and his House counterpart Mac Thornberry (R-TX) are calling on congressional negotiators to support the roughly $700 billion defense authorization bill they successfully moved through Congress this week.

The chairmen, in a joint statement Friday, note the bill is backed by large bipartisan majorities in both chambers.

"We believe that Congress has done its due diligence to authorize the appropriate level of funding based on threats, requirements, and missions," they said.

The bill authorizes $626.4 billion in base defense spending and $65.7 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funds.

Though they assert President Trump himself has "endorsed" spending $700 billion on defense in fiscal year 2018, his administration submitted a request for $603 billion. Meanwhile, the 2011 Budget Control Act caps FY-18 defense spending at $549 billion, though OCO spending is exempt. The topline for base defense spending in the authorization bill breaks the BCA cap by nearly $80 billion.

Congressional negotiators, according to staffers, have begun meeting this week to craft a bipartisan compromise before the end of the year, but Democrats have pledged to seek "parity" between both defense and non-defense spending increases.

"We call on the negotiators to meet Congress's constitutional obligation to give our troops the resources they need," McCain and Thornberry said. "We expect that any budget agreement will reflect the hard work that Congress has just completed and the reality of today’s dangerous world."

Further, they state the agreement must also ensure further defense spending growth in FY-19.

"Without that," they said, "President Trump's promise to rebuild our military will be impossible."

Congress is currently operating under a stopgap continuing resolution, which expires Dec. 8.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has said he expects a short-term CR extension would allow time to reach a bipartisan compromise by the end of the calendar year.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) said Thursday he opposes a long-term CR extension and is urging lawmakers to reach bipartisan consensus on spending before the CR expires Dec. 8.