WASHINGTON — One hundred and one House Republicans are calling on their leadership to avoid a full-year continuing resolution (CR) and at least match the $561 billion for defense requested by President Barack Obama and the Pentagon.
The group, led by Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, wrote to outgoing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Thursday, saying a year-long CR, "would bring about devastating consequences to our national security."
"In light of the bleak assessments provided by our military leaders, we are writing to inform you that we cannot vote for any spending measure for FY2016 that does not fund base requirements for national defense at or above the $561 billion level," the letter reads.
Amid budget talks between the president, Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the letter sends a signal to the Republican fiscal hawks that any deal will not pass without the full spending request. Clashing with fiscal conservatives in March, Turner had spearheaded a contentious plan to add $38 billion through a wartime fund known as the overseas contingency operations (OCO) fund that sidesteps Budget Control Act spending caps — now part of House and Senate Republican appropriations bills.
"I am proud to continue to lead the fight for a strong national defense that allows our men and women in uniform to address threats that endanger our national security," Turner said. "We should not play political games on the backs of our war fighters. If Congress fails in its principal duty to 'provide for the common defense' of the nation, we will see devastating consequences to national security."
"It's a disservice to our military men and women, and our security interests, to continue shortchanging national defense, especially with an expectation that the military will continue doing more with far less," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-ArizCalif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee and one of the signatories. "That view is unrealistic and it's detrimental to the global mission of the last ten-plus years."
The letter reflects a "push and pull in the conference," according to one senior House aide. The fiscally conservative tea party wing of the GOP conference — which now operates under the "Freedom Caucus" moniker — is viewed as instigating Boehner's retirement. With the letter, defense hawks are asserting themselves.
"It's a disservice to our military men and women, and our security interests, to continue shortchanging national defense, especially with an expectation that the military will continue doing more with far less," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee and one of the signatories. "That view is unrealistic and it's detrimental to the global mission of the last ten-plus years."
Whether the speaker is Boehner in perpetuity, Rep. Paul Ryan — who Republicans have tried to draft to the job — or someone else, leadership will have to take the concerns of this group into account, said Mackenzie Eaglen, an American Enterprise Institute analyst and former congressional defense aide.
"The letter is hugely significant because they are threatening their votes and alerting leadership that they cannot be taken for granted — even though they are much quieter than their vastly outnumbered Freedom Caucusers," Eaglen said.
The letter echoes a letter 70 House Republicans sent in March, spearheaded by Turner then, too. Seperately House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, wrote to House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, R.-Ga., asking for $577 billion for defense spending, or at least last year's authorized level of $566 billion. Thornberry did not sign the most recent letter, and a spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.
Another wrinkle this week is whether President Obama will veto the defense policy bill, as threatened. Obama and Democrats — who are seeking a budget deal that matches defense hikes on the non-defense side — have criticized the one-year OCO plus-up as an irresponsible way to fund national security. White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday reiterated the threat, noting there are enough votes among House Republicans to sustain the president's veto.
In a letter Friday, 37 progressive organizations encouraged Obama to reject the defense policy bill under the same rationale. OCO, the letter said, "is being used to shield the Pentagon from the pressure meant to be produced by the Budget Control Act caps, while none of that relief is being offered to the other spending bills which fund the vital needs of all Americans."
Email: jgould@defensenews.com
Twitter: @reporterjoe
Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.
