The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Senator Jack Reed says he will hold off on marking up this year’s National Defense Authorization Act until July. The Senate will use the extra time to consider nominees for top posts in the Defense Department. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Roger Zakheim said the delay, […]
President Biden’s new “skinny budget” request prioritizes IT modernization, with $750 million for IT upgrades and another $500 million for the Technology Modernization Fund, a funding vehicle for federal IT modernization projects. Laura Criste, Federal Market Analyst for Bloomberg Government, said although the five major budget priorities are not focused on IT, it is still […]
The new budget topline adds about $10 billion for the Pentagon, but experts say the increase will only cover the cost of inflation. Pay increases Congress is likely to mandate mean less buying power next year for the Pentagon than this year. Frederico Bartels, Senior Policy Analyst for Defense Budgeting at The Heritage Foundation, said […]
President Biden’s new topline budget designates $715 billion for the Defense Department. The proposal would cut the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund, created to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The proposal would move the OCO portion of the budget, which has totaled about $69 billion per year, into the base defense budget, explained […]
A national investment fund may be a solution to potential waste, fraud and abuse in recovery from the pandemic and could apply to a number of problems the federal government will face in the next decade. Harlan Ullman, Chair at the Killowen Group who is proposing the national investment fund, said the American Jobs Plan […]
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the Biden administration’s first budget request is on the way. The discretionary guide will be the first indication agency leaders have of what could be coming in fiscal 2022. David Hawkings, Editor in Chief of The Fulcrum, said a “poisonous atmosphere” on Capitol Hill along with a history […]
The House Appropriations Committee took advice at a hearing Thursday on how to improve diversity and inclusion at the State Department. Harry Thomas, former Ambassador to Zimbabwe who testified at this hearing, suggested a formal mentorship program to support Foreign Service Officers early in their careers. The State Department should provide everyone with the opportunity […]
