Defense hawks indicate support for House GOP budget plan

Several defense hawks on Wednesday said they could back the House GOP’s budget even though it keeps ceilings in place on Pentagon spending.

The GOP lawmakers said they were satisfied that the House Budget Committee’s decision to increase funding in a separate war account known as the overseas contingency operations (OCO) fund to $90 billion as a way to provide more flexibility to the Defense Department.

{mosads}While not perfect, they said it was enough for them to back the budget.

“Using OCO to make up for deficiencies in the base is not a good way to run things, but it’s certainly a lot better than not having it,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) told reporters Wednesday. 

“I don’t like it….putting all the money into OCO. But if you have to do that, and it’s your only option, I guess you go with the best option,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a member of the Armed Services Committee.

“I would prefer for it to be in the base [budget] period, but I am also very interested in the art of the possible, getting whatever resources that we can, because I’m particularly concerned about the readiness of our military,” said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.). 

Hunter is one of 68 House members who signed a letter led by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) that warned they would not accept a budget proposal lower than the president’s request of $561 billion.

The House GOP budget only provides $523 billion as a baseline budget for the Pentagon, though it also includes the $90 billion in OCO funding. It keeps the ceiling on defense spending in place from the 2011 Budget Control Act.

The White House has demanded that Congress get rid of the caps. Some House lawmakers on Tuesday, along with Pentagon officials, argued that the House GOP budget would not provide enough flexibility against the caps since the OCO funding would only be for a year.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday: “We submit a one year budget but in the context of a five year defense plan.”

However, he added, “We’re at a point where this is better than nothing.”

Defense comptroller Mike McCord, also suggested the increase in OCO funding could be helpful, testifying that the “dollars are useful to us.”

This story was updated at 3:03 p.m.