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Top Army Officer Condemns Congress's Failure to Pass Budget as ‘Professional Malpractice'
[Free Beacon] The top officer of the U.S. Army reprimanded Congress on Wednesday for its repeated failure to pass a budget that fully funds the military, rejecting remarks from a Democratic lawmaker that the military should adapt to stop-gap spending bills as the new reality in Washington.Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley warned that Congress's inability to pass a budget by the end of the month would "ultimately result in dead Americans on a future battlefield" and pose a threat to national security. "Failure to pass the budget, in my view as an American citizen and the chief of staff of the United States Army, constitutes professional malpractice," Milley testified before the House Armed Services Committee. The heads of the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps joined Milley in warning lawmakers that the services will face significant challenges in protecting the homeland and sustaining ongoing missions if Congress again fails to pass a federal budget. Congress has turned to stop-gap spending bills over the past eight years to avert government shutdowns amid toxic partisan strife. The temporary budgets freeze defense funding, forcing the Defense Department to shuffle funds from modernization and hiring to support current missions. Milley rejected a suggestion by Rep. Susan Davis (D., Calif.) that the military adjust to operating under short-term spending bills as a "new normal." "I don't think we should accept it as the new normal," Milley said. "The world is a dangerous place and is becoming more dangerous by the day. Pass the budget." Posted by: Besoeker 2017-04-07 |
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