'Significant Consequences': Army Secretary Warns Congress over Short-Term Funding

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth warned key lawmakers that the plan for yet another short-term funding cycle for the federal government could have a significant impact on the service, ranging from delays in construction projects to weapons acquisition.

In a letter to House and Senate Appropriations committee leaders Wednesday, Wormuth emphasized that a planned three-month continuing resolution set to fund the Army starting Oct. 1 will have "significant consequences on the Army's mission to maintain national security," as well as soldiers' quality of life.

Congressional leaders announced a plan Sunday to vote on a short-term spending agreement this week to fund the government through Dec. 20. The move avoids a shutdown during election season, instead punting funding questions to a lame-duck legislature and White House.

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Under the continuing resolution, the Army must work within this year's budget, hindering its ability to advance projects or contracts.

Construction on at least half a dozen projects, including a new $10 million machine gun range for Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and a new $44 million rail yard to transport armored vehicles and other equipment, would see delays, potentially lasting months. Other delays could affect projects at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

For 2025, the service requested a near doubling of its budget for barracks, going from $1.5 billion this year to $2.35 billion next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1. However, it's unclear whether the stopgap spending bill will delay any of the barracks projects planned at Fort Johnson, Louisiana; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; and Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany, among others.

The investment in barracks is one of the most dramatic changes to the service's spending and comes after media reports showed dilapidated living conditions for junior enlisted soldiers, something that raised lawmakers' ire to such a degree that a new House panel was stood up to investigate the matter.

Other delays include fielding the new weapons set to replace the M4 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon to two brigade combat teams. The XM7 rifle and XM250 machine gun made their debut in March at 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, though the service has been mum on whether those weapons have been successful in the field.

Both use 6.8mm ammo, which is much heavier than the current 5.56mm round widely employed in the Army but has the potential to be more effective against body armor. The XM7 is nearly one-third heavier than the currently mass-issued M4.

A planned $403 million purchase of Patriot missile hardware would also be delayed, as well as various software upgrades to missile defense systems. Those systems have been especially critical in the Middle East, where troops are under threat of drone strikes, mostly from Iran-backed militias. The service may also see a significant delay in procuring warheads and other key components for rockets.

Wormuth's warning comes after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed his own irritation with Congress over continuing resolutions earlier this month.

"We have already lost valuable time, having operated under 48 CRs for a total of almost five years since 2011. We cannot buy back this time, but we can stop digging the hole," Austin wrote in a letter to House and Senate Appropriations committee leaders from both parties.

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