WASHINGTON — Another reconciliation bill with funding for defense is “really not an option,” the head of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee said today, casting further doubt on the Pentagon’s plans to use $350 billion in reconciliation money to fund a $1.5 trillion defense budget.
“I think it’s safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, said during a hearing today.
McConnell’s remarks came in response to an exchange between Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Senate Appropriations Chairman Susan Collins, R-Maine, who asked Air Force leaders what would happen if funding for the F-35 included in the reconciliation request never materializes.
After McConnell stated that the reconciliation bill is “really not an option,” Collins added, “I agree with that assessment.”
Appropriators like McConnell and Collins do not own the reconciliation process, which will be directed by Republican leadership and the budget committees. However, their concerns echo those from analysts and other members of Congress, who have warned that the chances of passing reconciliation are dimming as Congress approaches midterm elections and could result in key defense priorities getting squeezed out of the budget.
