New defense topline could break budget cap by $100B; analysts question strategy

By Tony Bertuca / December 10, 2018 at 4:21 PM
If the Trump administration submits a $750 billion defense budget, as multiple sources have indicated, the proposed topline could blow past Congress' statutory budget cap by more than $100 billion. The 2011 Budget Control Act limits total defense spending in fiscal year 2020 to $576 billion. The Pentagon, however, has signaled it intends to request $73 billion for its Overseas Contingency Operations account, which is exempt from the BCA cap. That would leave a gap of $101 billion that Congress...

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