Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

Mulvaney opens door to bigger DoD budgets

Defense News: WASHINGTON — The White House budget office has directed all federal departments and agencies to submit 2019 budgets no more than five percent above their 2018 budget requests.

The 2019 budget guidance, dated July 7, may be a sign that Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney — known for prioritizing deficit reduction — is open to higher levels of defense spending in future years.

At first blush, the guidance seems to align with senior Pentagon leaders’ requests to Congress for 3 percent to 5 percent budget growth annually. Base discretionary spending for the Department of Defense in the president’s fiscal 2018 request was $574 billion, and that’s projected to increase by roughly 2 percent to $587 billion in 2019 — which jumps to $616 with 5 percent more added.

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