This week President Obama threatened to veto to House version of the annual defense appropriations legislation in a Statement of Administrative Policy (SAP). Issued by the Office of Management and Budget, the SAP disapproves of the shifting of $16 billion in war funds to the Pentagon’s base budget, funding overseas contingencies only through next April.
The maneuver funds additional procurement, a higher pay raise and more active-duty troops in the Army and Marine Corps, but the administration called the approach dangerous. According to Politico, the White House said: “By gambling with warfighting funds, the bill risks the safety of our men and women fighting to keep America safe, undercuts stable planning and efficient use of taxpayer dollars, dispirits troops and their families, baffles our allies, and emboldens our enemies.”