Continuing resolutions, while they provide stopgap funding for America’s military, cause a great deal of stress to servicemen and women as people’s paychecks have the possibility of being delayed, equipment and materiel support isn’t guaranteed, which leads to a dip in morale and a critical funding point for the armed forces. A Virginia Republican congressman says not passing budgets on time represents a clear danger to national security, all because Washington lawmakers cannot balance the federal checkbook on time.
Congressman Scott Taylor (VA-2) has explained before that Congress must pass a Defense Department spending bill before the beginning of the fiscal year to avoid the onset of a continuing resolution, causing the Pentagon to be filled with anxiety. As a freshman member of the Conference Committee to finalize the Energy and Water Infrastructure, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch Appropriations bills for fiscal year (FY) 2019, he is adamant that budgets must be passed on time.
“I can’t leave this room without stating that we can’t have continuing resolutions and government shutdowns when it comes to defense,” Taylor said at a recent meeting on the Hill, as reported by Roll Call. “Continuing resolutions are absolutely devastating, so we just have to make sure that we’re shepherding this process.”
Due to this unfortunate factor, Taylor is introducing a non-binding resolution that states, “all these continuing resolutions erode military readiness and pose a risk to national security,” according to WVTF. There is much uncertainty surrounding the federal government, especially when it comes to deciding on budgets for different departments. Though, Taylor looks to make some head way when it comes to fulfilling the needs of federally-funded departments.
When it comes to defense spending, Virginia is typically rewarded with tens of billions of dollars in contracts, but that can create an issue of dependency that is disrupted during continuing resolutions. When Washington fails to pass budget on time and relies solely on continuing resolutions, tens of thousands of jobs are put at risk in the Commonwealth.
