WASHINGTON (AP) Feb. 6, 2018— Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is laying out the dire details of Congress’ failure to pass a budget. He told a House committee Tuesday that without stable funding the Pentagon won’t be able to pay troops, recruit needed soldiers and airmen, adequately maintain ships or keep enough ammunition on hand to deter war.
Mattis told the House Armed Services Committee that military aircraft will have to be grounded because there won’t be enough spare parts and maintenance.
Congress has failed to pass a budget for the fiscal year that began last Oct. 1. The latest temporary funding measure expires at midnight Thursday.
Mattis says the U.S. military can’t win tomorrow’s wars with yesterday’s weapons and equipment. He warns of growing competition and threats from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and extremist organizations.
House Republican leaders are proposing to keep the government open for another six weeks by adding a year’s worth of Pentagon funding to a stopgap spending bill.
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says that approach, fully funding the Defense Department but only providing temporary money for the rest of the government, won’t go anywhere in the Senate.
Aides and lawmakers say budget talks in the Senate are moving toward an agreement for whopping increases in Pentagon spending as well as domestic programs.