Funding Overseas Contingency Ops, and More from CRS
The use of the “overseas contingency operations” budget construct to circumvent limits on discretionary spending was examined in a report from the Congressional Research Service published yesterday.
“Some DOD officials argue that this funding approach is essential to enable a timely military response to a dynamic enemy operating in a complex battlespace,” the CRS report said. “Critics however, have described the DOD’s continued use of the OCO/GWOT account as creating a ‘slush fund’ for military spending.” See Overseas Contingency Operations Funding: Background and Status, June 13, 2016.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Athletic Footwear for the Military: The Berry Amendment Controversy, CRS Insight, June 10, 2016
The Open Skies Treaty: Issues in the Current Debate, CRS Insight, June 10, 2016
FY2017 Appropriations for the Department of Justice, updated June 9, 2016
Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile, updated June 10, 2016
Mass Shootings and Terrorism: CRS Products, June 13, 2016
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Soft law was never meant to be a permanent solution. Treating it as one, and letting the sandcastle stand in for the skyscraper indefinitely, is how we end up with a decade of voluntary commitments and no enforceable accountability to show for it.
FAS has partnered with ICLEI USA to launch the CRI Local Advisory Council.
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