Emergency Supplemental Appropriations For The Department Of Defense PDF Download

The increased use of emergency" supplemental appropriations is gaining awareness within the Department of Defense (DoD) and continues to reflect the pressure of budget caps in the congressional appropriations process. While the defense portion of supplementals has been relatively small since the Vietnam War, emergency supplementals for natural disasters, military contingencies, and peacekeeping have steadily increased since the Persian Gulf War. The primary objective of this study is to focus on the history, policies, and processes of emergency supplemental appropriations and how they impact the DoD budget. Data were obtained by applying a legislative history tracking methodology to over sixty emergency supplemental bills, including all significant dates within the bill process by fiscal year from 1974 to 1999. Analysis of the data support the conclusion that it is imperative that Congress exercise good budgetary discipline and discretion regarding emergency supplemental appropriations. It should require agencies to improve planning for emergencies in order to avoid creating new budgets and mid-year plus-ups. Congress can avoid mortgaging future defense readiness and still support the military's role in global emergency operations. Irrespective of improvements in budget planning, some level of supplemental appropriations will always 5 be necessary to meet true budget emergencies.