EDITORIAL: No more delay — pass a budget

While we are all entertained by the political theater candidates for president are putting on and the promises they are making — particularly those sitting senators vying for higher office, there remains real business that must be completed — and soon — if we are to keep our nation safe. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, speaking at the Air Force Association Conference this week, laid it on the line.

Lawmakers have been more than hinting about not passing the appropriations bills necessary for smooth government function. Rather, some have threatened to shut the government down over Planned Parenthood, while others are talking about a long-term continuing resolution. Carter called it “sequestration-level funding under another name.” He said such a move would force the Pentagon to make “irresponsible” choices in the face of threats from bad actors such as China, Russia and ISIL.

Carter also said, “What we have under sequestration or a long-term continuing resolution is a straitjacket. We would be forced to make irresponsible reductions when our choices should be considered carefully and strategically. ... The longer a continuing resolution is, the worse it becomes, eventually resulting in a $38 billion deficit in resources for our military if Congress chooses to pursue this path for a full year.”

According to Defense News, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh and Carter are singing from the same hymnal. Walsh warned during an interview “that a continuing resolution would cause serious budget churn and impact long-term planning for the service.”

While our enemies are upgrading their capabilities, we are handcuffing our military’s ability to plan and face these coming threats. The Defense Department would have a base budget of $496 billion if a continuing resolution is employed, same budget as 2015. The sequestration budget cap is $499 billion. The president’s budget request for 2016 is $534 billion.

Let’s not worry about what the alphabet soup of candidates will do if elected next year. We need to worry about what our representatives and senators will do right now. The fiscal year ends in 12 days. This can cannot be kicked down the road without dangerous consequences.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 10:58 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: No more delay — pass a budget ."