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December 18th, 2005 - - HIGHLIGHTS OF FY06 DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
FY05 Comparable funding: $391.2 billion
FY06 Request: $407.9 billion
FY06 Conference: $403.5 billion (PLUS a $50.0 billion bridge fund for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan)
Overall Budgetary Highlights
Military Personnel $97.0 billion
Operation and Maintenance $123.6 billion
Procurement $76.5 billion
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation $72.1 billion
Revolving and Management Funds $2.2 billion
Other Department of Defense Programs $22.7 billion
Emergency Wartime Appropriations $50.0 billion
Troop Support: Fully funds the 3.1% military pay raise, effective January 1, 2006, and end strength levels requested for active duty and Guard and Reserve Personnel in the President's budget; an increase of $71 million is provided for Family Advocacy, childcare programs, and assistance to military families; and $35 million is provided for Impact Aid.
Bridge Fund: The conference agreement includes $50.0 billion in emergency funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, including $1 billion in additional equipment for the Army and Air National Guard, and the Army Reserve. The fund is designed to cover 6 months worth of contingency operations costs in the global war on terrorism. The majority of this funding – $39.4 billion, or 80% – is provided for military pay and operation and maintenance accounts. Funds are also provided for the following:
- Replacement of equipment losses: Approximately $8.0 billion is added to procurement accounts for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force equipment due to wartime losses and degradation. This includes funding for additional Humvees, trucks, radios, electronic jammers, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and ammunition.
- Counter IED equipment: In the Iraq Freedom Fund, $1.36 billion is provided for the IED Defeat Task Force of the Department of Defense in order to test and field new jammers to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs) employed by our enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, $362.7 million is provided specifically to procure high power jammers for use by the Marine Corps in Iraq.
- Personnel protection items: An additional $1.2 billion is provided for personnel force protection items and gear for troops in the field, such as body armor.
- Recruiting and Retention Programs: Approximately $1.2 billion is included to support the Services’ recruiting, retention, and advertising programs due to the challenging recruiting environment.
- Insurance and Death Gratuities: A total of $150.3 million is provided to cover costs of the enhanced life insurance and death gratuity benefits originally approved in the FY 2005 war supplemental.
- Army Reset: The recommendations propose a total of $2.9 billion for Army equipment rehabilitation (unit and depot maintenance).
- Other Items: Up to $500 million is provided to train and equip the military and security forces of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP) is provided up to $500 million to help combatant commanders secure the peace by addressing emergency civilian needs in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Army Ground Systems: The Army’s Future Combat System (FCS) research and development program is funded at $3.2 billion, about $240 million below the request due to development and contracting delays. The Non-Line of Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) program would receive an increase of $40.8 million. The Stryker vehicle program is fully funded at the requested level of $878 million for 240 vehicles.
Navy Shipbuilding: The President’s request included funding for 4 ships: one Virginia-class submarine, one LPD-17 amphibious ship, one Littoral Combat ship (LCS), and one T-AKE cargo ship. The conference agreement fully funds these requests and adds 2 additional LCS ships (an increase of $440 million). The recommendation fully funds the Navy’s DD(X) destroyer program, including $716 million in advance procurement and $1.1 billion in research and development. In addition, $30 million is provided for the acceleration of ship design for the CG(X) next generation cruiser. In total, the agreement provides $9.4 billion for new ship construction and ship conversion, an increase of $306 million above the budget request.
Navy/Marine Corps Aviation: The conference agreement includes $2.7 billion for 42 F/A-18’s, as requested by the President. The agreement fully funds the V-22 aircraft procurement program ($1.5 billion for 11 aircraft) and the VXX Presidential helicopter replacement program ($0.9 billion). The agreement funds 5 KC-130J tanker aircraft for the Marine Corps, compared to 4 in the House-passed bill.
Air Force programs: The conference agreement includes $3.2 billion for the procurement of 25 F/A-22 aircraft, as requested. The C-17 program is fully funded (15 aircraft at $3.5 billion), and authority is provided for a multiyear procurement agreement. The conference agreement restores funding for the C-130J multiyear procurement program by transferring funding from the Navy to the Air Force; the Air Force will procure 8 aircraft while the Navy will procure 5 tanker variants. The Joint Strike Fighter (a joint program with the Navy) is funded at $4.8 billion in R&D, $200 million below the request, and a reduction of $32 million is made for advance procurement due to development delays for the first few production aircraft; in all, $120 million is provided for advance procurement for the Joint Strike Fighter. Finally, the conference agreement provides $100 million to sustain a minimum production rate for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) while imposing additional testing requirements to improve missile reliability.
Missile Defense: The conference agreement provides a total of $7.8 billion for ballistic missile defense, an increase of $21 million over the budget request. The agreement includes additional funding of $10 million for an Asymmetric Warfare Initiative; $27 million for ballistic missile defense signals processor; an additional $150 million for groundbased missile defense; $41 million for AEGIS ballistic missile defense development; and $122.8 million for the Israeli Arrow missile program. The Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) program is funded at the President’s requested level of $215 million.
Space Programs: Funds most of the Administration’s request for major space programs. However, the conference agreement makes reductions to the request for two programs; Space radar (-$126 million) and transformational communications satellite (-$400 million). Remaining funds for these programs are for research and development activities, and for activities to reduce the costs for potential future procurements.
Drug Interdiction and Counter-drug Activities: The conference agreement provides $918 million for DOD’s counter-drug activities and to fight narcoterrorism, $22 million over the request and $11 million above last year’s level.
Total Spending and Total Offsets
Offsets—The bill includes no new net spending for hurricane disaster assistance and avian flu preparedness. Any additional expenditures are offset by 1% across the board reduction applied to all FY06 discretionary spending with the exemption of Veterans Administration funding, reallocating previously appropriated funds in FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, and rescissions of un-obligated balances.
Spending
Hurricane Disaster Assistance…29,000
Avian Flu Preparedness……….... 3,790
NY DOL/CDC…………………....... 125
Total Spending………………….... 32,915
Offsets
FEMA Disaster Relief Fund….. -23,409
Across the Board Cut…………. -8,500
Other Rescissions……………... -1,005
Total offsets…………………… -32,915
Highlights of the Disaster Assistance Package
Bill provides a total of $29 billion for disaster assistance to hurricane-damaged areas, $10.4 billion above the request.
Agriculture and Rural Areas
- Rural Recovery and Development—The conference report provides a total $618 million to assist farmers and ranchers affected by the recent hurricanes and to rebuild rural communities.
- $200 million for the Emergency Conservation Program for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by the 2005 hurricanes;
- $300 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection program to undertake emergency recovery in damaged waterways or watersheds;
- $118 million to assist rural communities repair and rebuild housing, water and sewer systems, community facilities, and electrical infrastructure.
Army Corps of Engineers
The conference report includes $2.9 billion, $1.3 billion above the request, to continue storm and flood repairs, begin reconstruction of levees and other infrastructure to original design specifications, and to accelerate studies and analyses necessary to determine appropriate flood protection for the Gulf Coast.
Defense
The bill provides 4.4 billion, $740 million below the request, to cover costs and repair damage incurred by the Department of Defense in the hurricane recovery efforts.
Homeland Security
The bill includes $285 million for the Department of Homeland Security, $45 million below the request, to rebuild facilities and replace equipment damaged hurricanes as well as compensate for costs incurred in the recovery efforts.
Interior
The bill provides $135 million, $73 million below the request, to repair damages to National parks, wildlife refuges, and forests, as well as to address damages to other Department of the Interior facilities, State and private forestry damages, and for the leaking underground storage tank program managed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Labor/HHS
- Social Services Block Grant receives $550 million to help affected states provide child care, mental health and other social services to devastated individuals and communities.
- $1.6 billion is provided for education hurricane recovery. Funds are provided for the following:
- $645 million for impacted schools (schools that took on students);
- $750 million for recovery schools (schools that were heavily affected by one or more of the hurricanes and need to restart their activities);
- $5 million for Homeless Ed. program;
- $200 million for Higher Education
To continue the recovery of the New York City-area from the September 11th attacks, $125 million is provided, $50 million for the New York State Uninsured Employers Fund and $75 million for the CDC to support continued medical monitoring of first responders.
Military Quality of Life
The bill includes $1.4 billion to rebuild military facilities damaged by hurricanes and $367 million to repair damage to VA facilities.
Science/State
- Disaster loans through the Small Business Administration are funded at $441 million, $25 million below the request.
- NASA - $350 million is provided, $25 million above the request, to repair and rehabilitate damaged NASA facilities and equipment.
- State and local law enforcement - $125 million is for grants to State and local law enforcement agencies in areas affected by the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
Transportation/Treasury/HUD
- Community Development Block Grant—The package includes $11.5 billion for the Community Development Block Grant to spur economic development in affected communities.
- Emergency Highway Relief—To repair damaged roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure, $2.75 billion is provided, $425 million above the request.
Highlights of the Avian and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness
The bill provides $3.8 billion for avian flu preparedness, 3.46 billion below the request. This amount funds roughly the FY06 portion of the Administration’s request. These funds include:
- $3.3 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to improve pandemic preparedness.
- Within that amount $350 million is provided for upgrading State and local response capacity, particularly the planning and exercising of pandemic response plans by State and local officials; $267 million for international activities, disease surveillance, vaccine registries, research, and clinical trials; and $50 million to increase laboratory capacity through the Centers for Disease Control.
- HHS is provided with flexibility to utilize the balance of the funds to support other core preparedness activities, such as expanding the domestic production capacity of influenza vaccine, developing and stockpiling of pandemic vaccine, stockpiling of antivirals and other supplies for the Strategic National Stockpile necessary for protecting and preserving lives in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza.
- The remainder of the funds are provided for international assistance, monitoring and tracking, and research and development.
ANWR
- A provision was added in open conference on a bipartisan vote in both the House and the Senate allowing lease sales to produce the 10.4 billion barrels of oil in the northern coastal plain of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.
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