Army pinched by budget shortfall

09/22/2006

Cutbacks are felt from mess halls to family programs. Democrats blamed the Iraq war and called for an inquiry.

Drew Brown,
McClatchy News Service

WASHINGTON - The Army is $500 million short of the money it needs to operate its bases this year because of the war in Iraq, forcing many posts to cut back on training, force protection and family support programs, House Democrats said Thursday.

Since June, some Army installations have had to close mess halls, reduce training time and cut back on ammunition, equipment, food and fuel to non-deploying units. Money for family support activities, including child care, gyms, bus services and other programs, also have been cut, hurting morale for families whose loved ones are overseas, the congressional Democrats said at a news conference.

The Bush administration failed to anticipate the Army’s needs and budget enough money to cover those expenditures, the group said. The Democrats called for a congressional investigation.

“You can’t expect to fight an extended war without paying for it,” said Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. “Cutting services that support soldiers and their families is shortsighted and just plain wrong.”

The problem has been building for several years, with the Army underfunding its base operations accounts. When fiscal year 2006 started last October, the Army had 69 percent of the money it needed for activities ranging from cutting grass to paying civilian security workers.

The Army was counting on money from the Bush administration’s $72 billion emergency defense spending request to help cover those activities, but when Congress did not pass the bill before the Memorial Day recess, belt-tightening began.

Even when Congress approved $94 billion in emergency war spending in June, including $722 million for Army base operations, the Army was still $500 million short of what it needed, according to the House Democrats.

Army spokesman Dave Foster said Thursday that he had no immediate comment on the Democrats’ analysis of the shortfall.

In testimony to Congress during the summer, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, testified that the Army needed a larger annual budget.

For 2007, the Army has requested $5.2 billion in base operating funds and $17 billion to replace equipment damaged, worn out or lost in the war.

Skelton said the war has become a “black hole for resources.”

Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said Congress needs to exert more oversight and come up with ways of fixing the problem. “At a time when they’re fighting for us, and we’re treating them this shabbily, that’s unconscionable.”