This week, the House is scheduled to begin consideration of H.R. 2219, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2012, subject to a rule.  The bill was introduced on June 16, 2011, by Rep. C.W.  Bill Young (R-FL) and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.  The bill is scheduled to be considered under a rule providing for one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations.  The rule provides for consideration of any amendment offered that complies with the House rules.  Under the rule, amendments would be considered following general debate pursuant to the five-minute rule.

H.R. 2219 contains $530.5 billion in non-emergency, discretionary budget authority for the Department of Defense (DoD), an increase of $17.2 billion above the non-emergency spending level for FY 2011 and $8.9 billion below the president's request.  H.R. 2219 represents an increase of 3.4 percent over last year’s non-emergency funding levels and a reduction of 1.7 percent below the president’s request for non-emergency DoD funding.  Non-emergency DoD budget authority contained in H.R. 2219 would contribute to an overall level of discretionary budget authority of $1.019 trillion for FY 2012, a reduction of $30.3 billion below FY 2011.

In addition to non-emergency, discretionary spending, H.R. 2219 includes $118 billion in emergency contingency spending for overseas operations to fight the global war on terrorism, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Due to the drawdown of U.S. forces overseas, emergency spending for overseas operations is $39 billion or 24.8 percent below the level of emergency spending in FY 2011.  However, emergency overseas funding for the war on terrorism is $841 million or nearly 1 percent above the president’s request.  When base DoD funding and emergency contingency operations funds are combined, H.R. 2219 provides a total of $649.2 billion, about $8 billion below the president’s combined request.  

The following is a summary of the spending highlights and other provisions in the bill:

Military Personnel

H.R. 2219 would provide $132 billion for military personnel, which is an increase of $5.3 billion or 4.2 percent above FY 2011.  The spending provides funds for pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, gratuities, travel, and related expenses for active duty personnel and the reserve corps.

Personnel Levels:  H.R. 2219 would provide for personnel levels equal to the president's budget request. The bill provides for personnel levels which would result in a decrease in total end strength of 2,400 personnel for the active forces, from 1,410,400 active duty personnel to 1,408,000.  The bill would also increase the end strength for the guard and reserve forces by 900 above last year, from 846,200 to 847,100.  The total number of military personnel would be 2,255,100, the same as the president's request.

Military Pay Raise:  H.R. 2219 would provide a 1.6 percent base pay raise for military personnel, which is in line with pending Defense Authorization legislation.

Operations and Maintenance

H.R. 2219 would provide $169.9 billion in discretionary spending for DoD operations and maintenance, an increase of $4.4 billion or less than 3 percent over FY 2011 levels and a reduction of $780 million or less than 1 percent below the president’s request.  The funds provide for the costs of operating and maintaining the military, including the reserves and related support activities of the DoD such as flight time and battle training, equipment and facility maintenance, and base operations.  The operations and maintenance account also provides funding for civilian pay, services for maintenance, and spare parts for weapons and equipment.

Procurement

H.R. 2219 would provide $107.6 billion for military equipment procurement, an increase of $5.5 billion or 5.3 percent above FY 2011 and a reduction of $3.6 billion or 3 percent below the president’s request. Procurement funding pays for new equipment and upgrades to ensure that our military forces have the platforms, weapons, and other equipment they need to train, maintain military infrastructure, and conduct successful operations.

According to the House Appropriations Committee, highlights of Defense procurement spending include the following:

• $15.1 billion for the construction of ten Navy ships;
• $5.9 billion for 32 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft (19 Air Force, 7 Navy, 6 Marine Corps), and $2.7 billion for continued development and testing;
• $3.3 billion for 28 F-18 Super Hornets and 12 EA-18 Growlers;
• $2.8 billion for 116 H-60 Blackhawk helicopters (71 Army, 42 Navy, and 3 Air Force); and
• $699 million for 48 MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation

H.R. 2219 would provide $73 billion for the DoD's research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDTE) efforts, a decrease of $1.9 billion or 2 percent below FY 2011 and a reduction of $2.3 billion or 3 percent from the president’s request.  This funding for basic and applied science research is specifically meant to advance the safety and success of current and future military operations, and help prepare our forces with the systems and equipment necessary to meet potential challenges down the road.

Aerial Refueling Tanker Replacement Program:  The legislation would fully fund the request for the Air Force’s KC-46A aerial refueling tanker, which was awarded on February 24, 2011.  According to the Committee Report, “Air Force leadership testified before the Committee that efforts would be made to ensure that the new tanker will be delivered within cost and on schedule.”  Under the bill, the Secretary of the Air Force would be required to report any contract modifications with a cost greater than $5 million to Congress.

Defense Health programs

H.R. 2219 would provide $32.3 billion for DoD health programs, and increase of $935 million above last year and $119 million above the president’s request.  According to the House Appropriations Committee, funding for DoD health programs includes $223 million for cancer research, $125 million for traumatic brain injury and psychological health treatment, $30 million for orthopedic research, and $15 million for restorative transplant research.

Reductions from the President's Request

Non-emergency, dictionary DoD spending in H.R. 2219 is nearly $9 billion below the president’s request.  In order to achieve savings from the president’s request, the bill makes a number of reductions from the president’s request in areas that will not affect the safety or success of our troops and missions, while also increasing overall funding for Defense activities by more than 3 percent above last year.  According to the House Appropriations Committee, some of these reductions from the request include: -$500 million for unjustified supply increases, -$400 million in logistic support contract savings, -$435 million in savings stemming from production delays in the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), and -$524 million in program delay savings of the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMAARS).  In addition, the bill would rescind $1.7 billion in unneeded prior year funds where appropriate and $1.3 billion for improved economic assumptions. The legislation also does not provide funds to continue the F-35 second engine program.

Contingency operations and Overseas Deployment

The bill would also provide $118.56 billion in emergency contingency funds for overseas deployment and ongoing operations to fight the global war on terrorism, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Emergency overseas contingency funding would be a decrease of $39.1 billion below FY 2011 due to the drawdown of U.S. forces overseas.  Compared to the president’s request, contingency funding would be an increase of $841 million or almost 1 percent.  Emergency contingency funding would provide additional amounts for the same accounts as the base bill, including military personnel, operations and maintenance, procurement and research, with all the funding going directly to overseas operations. According to the House Appropriations Committee, emergency contingency funding would also include $13 billion in funding for the training and equipping of Afghan Security forces, and $1.1 billion for the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capability Fund (PCCF).  However, the bill includes language to withhold 75 percent of PCCF funds until the Secretary of Defense provides a report to Congress on a strategy and metrics for the use of these funds.

Other Provisions

Guantanamo Bay Detainees:  H.R. 2219 would prohibit funding for transfers of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. or its territories, prohibits funding to modify any facility in the U.S. to house detainees, and places conditions on the release of detainees to other countries. These provisions are virtually identical to language contained in the FY 2011 Defense Appropriations legislation.

H.R. 2219 would provide a total of $649.2 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense for FY 2012.