Foreign Affairs Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) Funding: Background and Current Status

Abstract

Congressional interest in Overseas Contingency Operations(OCO) funding levels has continued as Members debate annual foreign affairs and defense budgets. First used by the foreign affairs agencies in FY2012, a key feature of OCO funds was their effective exemption, like emergency funds, from the discretionary spending limits established by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA, P.L. 112-25). Some Members suggested that OCOs exemption provided agencies with additional budget cushioning and flexibility, allowing defense and nondefense foreign affairs funding to exceed the spending caps. Others criticized the OCO designation, labeling it as a slush fund that provided funds for programs unrelated to contingency operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 10, 2021
Accession Number
AD1170141

Entities

People

  • Emily M. Morgenstern

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Budgets
  • Congress
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Counterterrorism
  • Covid-19
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Discretionary Spending
  • Emergencies
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Materials
  • Military Budgets
  • Overseas
  • Peacekeeping
  • Political Systems
  • Security
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • Zika Virus

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.