Statement of

Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (NJ-11)

Chairman, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense

“I want to thank the Chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for their diligent work on the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act.

“The allocation provided to the Defense Subcommittee is the direct result of passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act in December.  Our base allocation is $486.9 billion which is $29 billion below the Administration’s budget request and $25.7 billion below the level of July’s House-passed FY 14 Defense Appropriations bill.  Our allocation for the Overseas Contingency Operations is $85.2 billion.  

“With this lower allocation, the task of the Subcommittee was formidable – cutting $24.5 billion from the Administration’s budget request.  Not many programs were left untouched, but we did our best to avoid major disruption to vital programs.  Of course, the Subcommittee’s first priority is to restore and enhance readiness to allow our troops to execute their missions wherever and whenever they are called.

“I look forward beginning the FY 2015 appropriations process and a return to ‘regular order’ which will provide our military leadership with much-needed budget stability and predictability.  Even though the President’s 2015 budget request apparently will be delayed, the Subcommittee will be moving expeditiously through its hearing and oversight process.  In this constrained fiscal environment, Congress and the Administration will be forced to make many tough choices.  Our Subcommittee will be working hard to make every dollar count!”

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