July 19, 2021 Update
[New information bolded and italicized]
National security issues are front and center this week. The Senate Armed Services Subcommittees plan to consider their portions of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act on July 19 and 20 with the full committee acting on July 21.
In addition, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, after last week receiving a classified briefing on the 2002 Iraq War Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) requested by Republicans, may mark up or vote this week on the Kaine (D-VA)-Young (R-IN) bill to terminate the 2002 AUMF.
Last week, on July 12, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water approved by voice vote its fiscal year 2022 bill and the full Appropriations Committee voted for it on July 16 on a 33-24 vote. The bill provides $53.2 billion, an increase of $1.5 billion above 2021, including $20.2 billion for DOE’s nuclear security programs of which $15.5 billion goes for nuclear weapons activities.
On July 13, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the $706 billion fiscal year 2022 Defense Appropriations bill on a 33-23 vote, in line with President Biden’s Pentagon budget request of $715 billion. The Committee adopted a pair of amendments from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) to repeal the 2001 AUMF and the 2002 Iraq War authorization and rejected 26-31 an amendment from Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) to reinstate a long-running ban on money to close the Guantanamo Bay prison or transfer detainees to the U.S.
Before the August recess, the full House plans to consider a package of seven appropriations bills, called a minibus, including Energy and Water and Military Construction but not Defense or State-Foreign Operations.
In another piece of significant news, Navy secretary nominee Carlos Del Toro said the Navy would not make a decision about a nuclear sea-launched cruise missile until after a Nuclear Posture Review just getting underway.
Click here for some of the key introduced national security measures.
Key Fiscal Year 2022 National Security Bills
Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Bill
The House Armed Services markup schedule for subcommittees are July 28 and 29 with the full committee meeting not until September 1.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
10:00 a.m. — Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems Markup
12:00 p.m. — Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Markup
2:00 p.m. — Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Markup
3:30 p.m. — Subcommittee on Military Personnel Markup
Thursday, July 29, 2021
10:00 a.m. — Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces Markup
12:00 p.m. — Subcommittee on Readiness Markup
2:00 p.m. — Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations Markup
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
10:00 a.m. — Full Committee Markup
Fiscal Year 2022 Defense Appropriations Bill
On June 30, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee approved by voice vote a $706 billion bill, an increase of $10 billion above 2021 in line with President Biden’s Pentagon budget request of $715 billion. The bill eliminated funding for the Navy’s sea-launched cruise missile – nuclear program, added an extra destroyer, ended the Overseas Contingency Operations fund, mandated the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Prison by the end of fiscal 2022, and included $25 million to extricate Afghans who aided U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The full Appropriations Committee is expected to consider the bill on July 13.
Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Resolution
At the end of May, the Biden administration released its long awaited detailed fiscal year 2022 budget. The top line number is $753 billion for defense spending, a 1.7 percent increase from the final enacted Trump budget. The request included $715 billion for the Pentagon.
Despite a budget review of about four and a half months, the Biden team requested a nuclear weapons budget of $43.2 billion, with very little variation from the Trump administration’s proposals. Indeed, the request funds, or even expands, nearly every nuclear program from the Trump administration.
The new request was not consistent with President Biden’s campaign rhetoric or the Democratic Party platform. Progressives will look to reduce the request while conservatives will attempt to raise it.
Click here for a detailed analysis of the new defense budget by Council for a Livable World’s sister organization, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
Fiscal Year 2022 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
Fiscal Year 2022 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
On June 28, the House State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee approved by voice vote $62.2 billion for fiscal year 2022, which was a 12% increase over current funding levels, including more than $18 billion for the State Department and $1.8 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
On July 1, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the State, Foreign Operations bill 32-25 that the subcommittee had marked up on June 25.
Fiscal Year 2022 Military Construction-Veterans’ Administration (VA) Bill
On June 25, the House Appropriations Military Construction-Veterans Administration panel approved the $279.9 billion fiscal 2022 spending legislation by voice vote.
On June 30, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal 2022 military construction legislation by a 33-24 vote, a bill previously approved by subcommittee. In total, the bill provides $279.9 billion, an increase of $28.1 billion – more than 10 percent – above 2021. Of this amount, discretionary funding for programs such as veterans’ health care and Military Construction totals $124.5 billion, an increase of $11.4 billion above 2021.The bill provided a total of $10.9 billion for military construction (a portion of the Pentagon budget), $2.9 billion above the 2021 enacted level and $1.1 billion above the President’s budget request.
