Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

Window to Spend Budget Bonanza Might Super-Size September Spree

Homeland Security Today: Civilian agencies will have just six months to spend an extra $63 billion this fiscal year and they aren’t allowed to plan for it. Top military leaders have asked Congress to waive use-it-or-lose-it rules to help them manage their $80 billion 2018 gusher by rolling some of it over into fiscal 2019.

As a result of the two-year spending package that President Trump signed into law on Feb. 9, military spending will rise to $700 billion for fiscal 2018 and domestic spending will increase to $591 billion.

Between now and March 23, when the current continuing resolution funding agencies at 2017 levels ends, Congress must come up with legislation instructing agencies how to spend their fiscal 2018 budgets. After that, government organizations will have just six months to spend all the increase or send back to the Treasury what remains unspent on Oct. 1, the beginning of fiscal 2019.

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