Defense innovation stymied as gridlock in Congress bars emerging tech
By Catherine Buchaniec
Aug 16, 01:47 PM
WASHINGTON — With a little over six weeks in the government’s fiscal year, Congress faces the uphill battle of passing a defense appropriations bill and avoiding a continuing resolution.
CRs keep funding at the previous year’s levels with limited exceptions. A divided Congress has frequently relied on the practice in recent years to evade a government shutdown while lawmakers negotiate appropriations for the next fiscal year, and it’s increasingly likely that a CR will be required for fiscal 2023, the law firm Alston & Bird said in a note to clients on July 26.
While a CR keeps the lights on, its impacts can be detrimental to the Pentagon’s efforts to keep pace with rival nations in emerging technologies. Because funding is fixed at the previous year’s level, CRs delay the start of new programs and contracts, many of which fall under the sphere of defense tech.
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