Defense: FY2008 Authorization and Appropriations
Abstract
This report is a guide to one of the regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense. For both defense authorization and appropriations, this report summarizes the status of the bills, their scope, major issues, funding levels, and related congressional activity. This report is updated as events warrant and lists the key CRS staff relevant to the issues covered as well as related CRS products. The House passed its version of the FY2008 defense authorization bill, H.R. 1585, on May 17. The Senate Armed Services Committee finished drafting its counterpart bill, S. 567, on May 24. Senate action on the bill is expected in June. On February 5, 2007, the White House formally released to Congress its FY2008 federal budget request, which included $647.2 billion in new budget authority for national defense. In addition to $483.2 billion for the regular operations of the Department of Defense (DoD), the request includes $141.7 billion for continued military operations, primarily to fund the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, $17.4 billion for the nuclear weapons and other defense-related programs of the Department of Energy, and $5.2 billion for defense-related activities of other agencies. The $483.2 billion requested for DoD's "base" budget, that is, the request for regular operations excluding the cost of ongoing combat activity. is $46.8 billion higher than the agency's base budget for FY2007, an increase of 11% in nominal terms and, by DoD's reckoning, an increase in real purchasing power of 8.0%, taking into account the cost of inflation. The FY2008 base request would continue a permanent increase in active-duty end-strength for the Army and Marine Corps, as many Members of Congress have recommended for years, with a goal of adding 92,000 active duty troops to the two services by FY2012, compared with pre-Iraq War levels.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA501656
Entities
People
- Amy Belasco
- Pat Towell
- Stephen Daggett
Organizations
- Library of Congress