Training, Spares Already Hurt by Continuing Resolution; Longer CR Would Block Slew of Ship Buys in January
By: Megan Eckstein
December 8, 2017 4:15 PM
Lawmakers bought themselves two more weeks to pass a defense spending bill, after extending the continuing resolution that has funded the government since the start of the fiscal year, but the Navy is already seeing decreased readiness as a result of operating under a CR and would face severe procurement challenges if a defense budget isn’t passed by the end of the month.
The House and Senate voted Thursday night to fund the government at last year’s spending levels through Dec. 22, after the original CR that spanned Oct. 1 through Dec. 8 was set to expire tonight. Lawmakers avoided a government shutdown, but with several political issues hanging over the process of passing appropriations bills, it is unclear whether the Senate will pass its appropriations bills and agree to a compromise with the House appropriations bills within the next two weeks.
https://news.usni.org/2017/12/07/report-current-budget-fight-hints-long-term-battle-pentagon-budget-hawks
