Congress Adds Nearly $15 Billion to Pentagon's Budget

In a move that has raised eyebrows, defense appropriators in Congress have recommended adding nearly $15 billion to the Pentagon's budget for fiscal 2025, despite the Defense Department not requesting the funds. The additional money will be allocated to several hundred military research and procurement programs, with over a third of the funds going towards new programs, mostly weapons, that were not part of the Pentagon's original budget plans.

According to a report released by Taxpayers for Common Sense, the added funds were inserted into the budget by lawmakers from both parties, including Illinois' Democratic Sens. Richard J. Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, and Republicans such as Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas.

The spending directions from Congress are included in tables that Republican Defense appropriators sent to the Pentagon last month, outlining how members believe Defense money in the fiscal 2025 continuing resolution should be spent. The stopgap spending bill's $895.2 billion for Defense programs is $6 billion over fiscal 2024, but represents a cut in spending after inflation is factored in.

Critics have labeled the added funds as "backdoor earmarks," as they allow lawmakers to funnel money to favored recipients without disclosing their involvement or certifying that they have no financial interest in the earmark. Gabe Murphy, policy analyst for Taxpayers for Common Sense, noted that the Defense Department program increases are “backdoor earmarks.”

The added funds will go towards various projects, including $5 million for the Army to research a "thermoplastic tail rotor drive system" for Blackhawk helicopters, and $100 million for a "Next Generation HMMWV Shop Equipment Contact Maintenance Vehicle," a Humvee that provides mobile maintenance to maneuvering units.

Lawmakers have defended the added funds, with Rep. Stefanik stating that the investments will "bolster our national security and further solidify Upstate New York's role as a defense technology hub." However, critics argue that the funds are being used to benefit lawmakers' constituents and campaign contributors, rather than being allocated based on the Pentagon's actual needs.

The fiscal 2025 total of $14.95 billion in added funds is down from the prior year's total of $21 billion, but may not be the end of congressional insistence on unrequested boosts for little-known weapons accounts. Senators unveiled a compromise budget resolution that could add at least $100 billion for defense programs over the next decade.