Friday, May 09, 2008

Pentagon expects war funding by Memorial Day

U.S. lawmakers informed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates they expect to pass the remaining $108 billion of the fiscal 2008 budget by their Memorial Day recess on May 24, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Tuesday.

Gates sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Monday to say he was “encouraged” to hear Congress intends to pass the remainder of the current fiscal year’s budget. But, he added that military officials will continue to plan for contingencies if the money isn’t appropriated.

If the bill isn’t approved or if President Bush won’t sign it, the military will be forced to “reprogram” money from the Air Force and Navy to pay Soldiers, because the Army can sustain its payroll only through June 15, Morrell told reporters.

But the reprogramming measures aren’t a cure-all, Morrell noted. “None of those efforts buy us much time - we’re talking about a few weeks,” he said. After that, he said, the department faces the possibility of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan not getting paid.

The $108 billion is “urgently needed” to finance the Global War on Terror through the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, Morrell said. “We here at the Pentagon have been financing those wars by borrowing from our payroll accounts,” he said, “but those accounts are about to run dry.”

If the funding isn’t approved, the department may issue civilian furlough notices after June 1.

“We’re getting down to crunch time,” Morrell said. He added that Gates is “taking the leaders at their word that this will be done by Memorial Day.”

The White House requested an additional, or “supplemental,” $70 billion last week to serve as a bridge in funding into fiscal 2009, which begins Oct. 1, 2008.

While the administration and commanders in Afghanistan are interested in increasing troop strength there, military leaders won’t consider additions beyond what has already been approved until troop strength in Iraq is fewer than 15 brigade-size combat units, Morrell said. Such a transfer of troops “is not seriously being considered in this building,” he said.