On July 19 the House completed floor action on and passed the FY 2013 Defense Appropriations Bill (H.R. 5856) by a vote of 326-90. Click here for our review of the Committee version of the bill. Click here for lessons learned from the bill.
Congress Can’t Avoid its Budget Responsibility
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that sequestration in its current form is flawed, but the argument has remained largely political. Rep. Adam Smith outlined the irony of the current conservative position on sequestration, saying they “ignored both their own role in creating sequestration in the first place and the fact that their stubborn resistance to any increase in revenues is the biggest reason why sequestration is even a possibility…
Analysis of Fiscal Year 2013 House Defense Appropriations Bill
The bill, which may come up on the House floor the week of July 16, provides $519.2 billion in non-war funding, an increase of $1.1 billion over the fiscal year 2012 level and $3.1 billion above the President’s request. The bill also contains $88.5 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), or war funding. This is a reduction of $26.6 billion compared to the previous year’s level, due to the end of the war in Iraq and a drawdown of forces in Afghanistan.
Quote of the Day: More Money Might Not Solve the Problem Edition
Nevertheless, NNSA continues to experience significant deficiencies, particularly in its management of major projects and contracts. As we testified in February 2012, a basic tenet of effective management is the ability to complete projects on time and within budget. However, for more than a decade, NNSA has continued to experience significant cost and schedule overruns on its major projects, principally because of ineffective oversight and poor contractor management.
GOP: for policies before being against them
Ezra Klein pointed out recently in a Washington Post piece the challenge that President Obama faces in his dealings with today’s Republican Party. Using the DREAM Act as an example, Klein shows how longstanding Republican positions, after being embraced by Obama, become toxic, making bipartisanship difficult if not impossible.
