Budget, Political Uncertainty Cloud U.S. Discussions At Farnborough

FARNBOROUGH—Seemingly every year, lawmakers and U.S. defense officials clamor for on-time appropriations to avoid yet another continuing resolution and program delays.

And yet, political realities regularly prevent that from happening.

This year, with a presidential election coming and a tense political mood on Capitol Hill, some lawmakers are saying it will likely be worse than usual.

“What you’re going to see over the next few months in the Senate, in my judgment, is a lot of playacting,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) in a July 22 press conference at the Farnborough Airshow here. “We’re marking up bills without knowing how much money we have to spend. That, in my opinion, is a very wrongheaded way to try to put together a budget.”

This year’s budget cycle started off with uncertainty early on, with the Pentagon compelled to submit a funding request under a forced reduction as part of last year’s Fiscal Responsibility Act. Authorizers appear to have an agreement to increase the overall topline by $25 billion, with the Senate version authorizing an overall topline of $923.3 billion.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Senate Appropriations Committee, painted an optimistic picture of the plan. Shaheen said ahead of the air show that appropriations committee leaders have come to an agreement that is “very close” to the SASC topline. Lawmakers have been asked to submit amendments in advance to quickly move to consideration after the August recess concludes.

But Kennedy, who serves on the Appropriations Committee and leads the subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, says that because of the election and a new Congress, any work done now will not be relevant come early next year.

“I’m not minimizing the importance of us doing our work in the subcommittees. But, once again, for at least my subcommittee, it’s all playacting, and all those numbers are going to change,” he says.

Lawmakers will have to find some way to find a balance in addressing the deficit, increasing defense spending and other political moves.

“We have to make a decision, and you don’t have to be Mensa material to see all those interests are competing, and something’s going to have to give, and that’s why this budget’s a long way from being put together,” Kennedy says.

Shaheen, appearing alongside Kennedy at a Farnborough Airshow press conference here, agrees it will be a long way for the budget to be approved, but says it is the lawmakers’ job to do that work.

The U.S. political situation weighed over all of the congressional and Pentagon public appearances at both Farnborough and the Royal International Air Tattoo. Representatives were repeatedly asked and avoided answering questions about President Joe Biden’s move to not seek reelection and the potential impacts of another Donald Trump presidency, particularly on relationships with European militaries in NATO, along with ongoing aid for Ukraine and the related increase in defense production.

“We think it’s the right policy. I think regardless of perhaps your politics, when you look at it, it sort of makes sense,” says Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for acquisition. “Production, jobs and security are pretty much with us regardless of your politics. And so if you focus on those things and focus on getting the stuff that you have underway, get it secure and in a good place regardless of what happens in the election—what you’re supposed to do anyway.

“You always know that once the election year comes around things will happen and all that, but you have to focus on that piece. But, you have to be realistic and know, yes, it’s on everybody’s mind.”