Congress’s failure to pass the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget has hindered the Department of Defense’s (DoD) mission in national defense and global security, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks told reporters today during a live Pentagon press briefing.
The Pentagon is sailing into unprecedented waters as it unveiled its FY2025 budget today, without a full budget for the remainder of FY2024, which ends on September 30.
“As I stand before you today, Congress has not yet passed the FY2024 defense budget,” Hicks said. “I want to highlight how devastating the failure to pass last year’s budget request is to ensuring our national defense and global security.”
Service leaders have sounded the alarm over the situation, warning that the U.S. military may run out of personnel funds before the end of the year.
“The department has no way around that reality. Instead, we have been strapped with a series of continuing resolutions,” Hick said. “[CRs] are a significant constraint on our ability to advance our defense strategy, forcing the department to operate with one hand tied behind our back for months out of the year.”
Hicks further explained that in addition to the ineffectiveness of CR spending agreements, the department also cannot continue putting the ball on its supplemental funding request.
DoD is among several Federal agencies on a short-term budget extension since the end of September due to political infighting over spending levels.
According to Hicks, Congress’s inability to pass the FY2024 budget holds “back much-needed funding” and “hinders [DoD’s] ability” to execute missions that “[deter], and if called upon [defeat], foreseeable and future threats.”
Earlier this month, the House and Senate passed a spending bill funding several government agencies for the rest of FY 2024 — sending the measure to President Biden’s desk hours before a shutdown deadline.
However, the DoD was not included in that approved funding. Budgets for the remaining agencies — including the DoD — are due March 22 and are expected to be more difficult to pass.
“We need Congress to come together. The world is watching what we do at this moment. It’s tracking whether we can unite and overcome the headwinds facing our national security in our democracy. And our adversaries are observing our willingness to step forward for our allies and partners. So, we must continue to make progress critical to projecting power and protecting our people,” Hicks said.
