In case you were not watching closely, we still don’t have a defense budget for FY2018…which started four months ago. Right now, it is looking like we may have something agreed to by February 8, and according to some rumors, it will be an increase of $80 billion.
- The initial requested budget (which is different than what is actually spent) for FY2017 was $582 Billion.
- The president requested a $30 billion increase for FY2017.
- The president requested a $52 or $54 billion increase for FY2018 to $639 billion for FY2018 (source: Wikipedia, May 2017 DOD News article), or to $603 (source AP). I have never been able to sort out the difference here. I still don’t understand why there seems to be two different figures regularly batted about, nor do I understand how this claimed 10% increase adds up to a 10% increase. (read this for an answer: https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-expect-fy-2018-defense-budget).
- Congress is looking at a deal that will increase the budget by $80 billion, or I gather to some figure around $662 billion or $629 billion.
- Not sure how that budget increase is assigned or implemented as we are already 1/3rd the way through the fiscal year.
- I gather this increase is for the next two years.
- I gather there will not be a government shut-down on the 8th and that we may have a defense budget by then.
Anyhow, maybe we will know something more by the end of the week.
Sources:
1. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States
2. AP Article: http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2018/The-era-of-trillion-dollar-budget-deficits-is-about-to-make-a-comeback-and-a-brewing-budget-deal-could-mean-their-return-comes-just-next-year/id-7d76e81cbea64e8fafe9d8a4576cfe6b
3. DOD article: https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1190216/dod-releases-fiscal-year-2018-budget-proposal/