A slew of Democratic amendments that would pare back spending on major military acquisition programs could be up for debate next week when the House takes up the defense authorization bill.
Lawmakers filed 331 amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1735) this week. The House Rules Committee has not yet decided which ones will make it to the floor for debate, but are likely to do so early next week.
The House Armed Service Committee last Wednesday voted to include funding for the A-10 Warthog, which the Air Force wants to retire, but the dispute will likely begin anew when lawmakers mark up the NDAA as early as Wednesday. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) resubmitted an amendment that would allow the Air Force to retire some of its A-10 fleet, redirecting those funds for counter improvised explosive device (IED) equipment, TOW missiles, new C-130s and MQ-9 Reaper drones and upgrades to the F-16 and C-130. It would keep 119 A-10s in the fleet. The amendment failed during the HASC markups, with defense hawks approving an amendment prohibiting the Air Force from any move that would mothball the fleet or reduce its operating status.
Another amendment would block Congress from using Overseas Contingency Operation funding to pay for base budget expenses, a mechanism defense hawks have proposed this year to get around spending caps. Offered by Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), the language would limit OCO funds for “incremental, time-limited military requirements” needed for the war on terror.
A number of amendments would hit major Navy programs. One submitted by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) would strip away procurement funding from the Littoral Combat Ship program until the Navy Secretary certifies that new upgunned LCS meets the recommendations of the Small Surface Combatant Task Force, which was formed last year to look at the service’s options for buying a “frigate-like” vessel.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) proposed an amendment that would keep the Navy from being able to use the Sea-Based Deterrent Fund to pay for the Ohio-class replacement submarine. That account was set up so that the submarine did not draw funding away from the Navy’s overall shipbuilding budget. An additional amendment, offered by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), would decrease the number of congressionally-mandated aircraft carriers from 11 to 10. These amendments are unlikely to pass, as both the carrier fleet and the Ohio-replacement have received bipartisan support in Congress.
Few amendments this year proposed increasing funding for programs. One offered by Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) would add $75 million for MV-22 digital interoperability upgrades and research and development. Blumenauer also submitted language, as he did last year, to set aside funding to upgrade at least 10 Air National Guard F-15E radars to a more advanced active electronically scanned array system.
Democrats and Republicans also offered several amendments that would delay any changes to Army National Guard end strength and aviation fleets until after the release of the National Commission on the Future of the Army report due next February. National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Frank Grass in a hearing last week asked Congress last week to hold off on such decisions until the commission makes their recommendations.
There were also a number of amendments dealing with the acquisition process, including language that would require a report on vulnerabilities caused by sole source suppliers of components in the Defense Department’s supply chain and an amendment geared toward increasing small business participation in the department’s contracts.