H.R. 4909 would authorize appropriations totaling an estimated $603.3 billion for the military functions of the Department of Defense (DoD), for certain activities of the Department of Energy (DOE), and for other purposes. In addition, H.R. 4909 would prescribe personnel strengths for each active-duty and selected-reserve component of the U.S. armed forces. CBO estimates that appropriation of the authorized amounts would result in outlays of $587 billion over the 2017-2021 period.
Of the amount that would be authorized for 2017 $567.0 billion would be for base budget costs for defense programs, $0.4 billion would be for nondefense programs, and $35.7 billion would be to cover a portion (seven months) of costs directly related to war-related activities. Funds for the direct cost of war-related activities for the remaining five months of 2017—roughly $20 billion—could be provided in supplemental appropriations; the bill, however, would not authorize additional funds for that purpose.
If appropriated, $544.0 billion of the authorized amounts would count against the 2017 defense cap set in the Budget Control Act (BCA), as amended and $0.4 billion would count against the nondefense cap. An additional $58.8 billion would be authorized for overseas contingency operations (OCO) and if appropriated would not count against the caps. Of the amount designated for OCO, $23.1 billion would be used in support of base budget requirements while the remaining $35.7 billion would be for war-related activities.
