The United States Capitol Building, where Congress sits, at sunset in Washington, DC. Congress has cast doubt on US defense spending by delaying votes on appropriations until after the August recess. (Shutterstock/Lucky-Photographer)

How Congress Is Aggravating the Munitions Crisis

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The Iran War is draining US arsenals while Congress is heading to recess.

Last Saturday, senators joined their counterparts in the House of Representatives for the August recess, right after passing a continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown. In doing so, they acknowledged that they will likely leave regular appropriations incomplete before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. These include three critical defense funding requests: 

$67 billion in supplemental funding for 2026.

A $1.1 trillion 2027 defense base budget.

A $350 billion 2027 defense budget reconciliation. 

If Congress neglects these matters, the losers are obvious: the military; the industrial base, economic, and innovation engine that supports it; the taxpayer; and ultimately the nation’s security and prosperity.

For the military, training and readiness will pay the bill in the near term. The latest publicly available financial reports show the Pentagon has spent 80 percent of military personnel accounts and more than 70 percent of some operating and maintenance budget lines. A reprogramming request submitted in late June would move money to military personnel but won’t cover operational shortfalls. 

Funds for planned training and facilities maintenance will be diverted until funding gaps are filled. While it is true there is unspent money in last year’s mandatory accounts, those funds are on track to be spent quickly before the end of the year, and any attempts to divert them now would result in the same modernization........

© The National Interest