Substantially increasing defense spending for fiscal 2018 could require a "eye-popping increase" in funding for Overseas Contingency Operations, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments reported today in a new analysis.
The study outlines congressional action on the defense appropriations so far, noting that bills approved by congressional committees propose an average defense topline of about $30 billion more than requested by President Donald Trump.
To reach the proposed increases, Congress would have to approve a boost in OCO funding of $54 billion to $83 billion over the administration's request of $65 billion, "an eye-popping increase," the study's author, Katherine Blakeley, concludes.
"Such a large increase in OCO funding may be difficult for many in Congress to swallow, particularly fiscal conservatives," she adds.