In late December, Congress wrote a big IOU to the Pentagon, authorizing an additional $25 billion over the bare-bones defense budget proposed by the Biden administration for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. But so far, the Pentagon has yet to see a penny of the extra funds.
“While Congress continues to punt their responsibilities, the Defense Department has lost $30 billion in purchasing power since October 1, 2021,” argued retired Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, a former Senate Armed Services Committee staff director and current board chairman for the National Defense Industrial Association.