On December 19, 2009, the President signed into law: H.R. 3326, the “Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010,” which provides FY 2010 appropriations for Department of Defense (DOD) military programs including funding for Overseas Contingency Operations, and extends various expiring authorities and other non-defense FY 2010 appropriations.
Bill Total for Defense
FY2009 Enacted: $625.3 billionPresident’s Request: $640.1 billionHouse Passed: $636.3 billionSenate Passed: $636.3 billion2010 Total Bill: $636.3 billion
Some highlights:
- Military Pay: The bill provides a 3.4% military pay increase, 0.5% above the request.
- Supporting Military Families: $472.4 million for Family Advocacy programs and full funding for Family Support and Yellow Ribbon to provide support to military families, including quality child care, job training for spouses, and expanded counseling and outreach to families experiencing the separation and stress of war.
- Readiness and Training: $154 billion, $1.3 billion above 2009, for the Defense Operation and Maintenance Account to increase readiness and training of our troops. The bill rebalances funding from preparing for Cold War-era type conflicts to the highest priority readiness requirements for the hybrid operations that our military will be facing for the foreseeable future.
- Reining in Outsourcing: $5 billion, greater than the previous year, to allow defense personnel, not contractors, to perform critical department functions. The Department estimates that every position that is converted from contract to federal civilian saves on average $44,000 per year. Additionally, the bill reduces contracted advisory and assistance services by $51 million, and includes general provisions to stop further conversions by the Department of Defense from government functions to contractors.
- The bill also directs DoD to in-source the task of vetting and issuing Common Access Cards and report on planned improvements of access control because the Committee found that about 212,000 contractors had been mistakenly been given Common Access Cards, causing a potential security risk.
- Inspector General Oversight: $288 million, $16 million above the request, for the Inspector General to hire additional investigators to ensure proper oversight of DoD acquisition and contracting.
- No Permanent Bases: Continues a general provision prohibiting the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq or Afghanistan.
- Torture: Continues a general provision prohibiting the torture of detainees held in US custody.
- CERP: Provides $1.2 billion, a reduction of $300 million from the request, for the Commanders Emergency Response Program (CERP), and withholds $500 million in funding until the department develops and submits a comprehensive spending plan.
- Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility: Provides no funds for the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Naval base.
Related Items:
- Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 3326
- Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)[H.R.3326.ENR]
