DOD No. 2: ‘Pretty certain’ no sequestration next year

Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work on Monday expressed confidence that Congress will strike a deal to lift Pentagon spending caps for at least the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

Speaking to an audience at the Rand Corp., Work said he is “pretty certain we won’t get to sequestration-level funding,” according to DefenseNews.com.

{mosads}Three months ago, he said he would have predicted there would have been more than a 50-50 chance that sequestration levels would remain in effect in fiscal 2016.

Work, however, suggested ongoing pressure from the Obama administration to reverse those budget ceilings is causing chatter on Capitol Hill for another budget agreement, similar to the Ryan-Murray deal reached in December 2013. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the budget chairmen at the time, crafted the agreement following a 16-day government shutdown.

“Because of the president’s strong veto threat, and because we’ve now demonstrated veto-sustaining votes in the House and Senate,” things have changed, Work said.

“The whole point of this is to try and encourage both sides of the aisle and both chambers of congress to get together and do another Ryan-Murray-type bipartisan budget agreement. That is the purpose of our strategy. And at least right now, we have set up the conditions for that to occur.”

Work explained the Pentagon might get 60 percent of President Obama’s budget request if sequestration is eased, but it won’t be enough to accomplish some of the military’s goals.

The crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s involvement, he added, will likely influence how the Pentagon moves around its funding.

“What we’re looking for is a model that is based on more agility and more flexibility, and working with our partners in NATO,” Work said. “I can’t tell you right now how that will manifest itself, but it is not going to be trying to restructure a Cold War posture of heavy forces overseas.”