McCain will block most DoD reprogramming requests

Congress

McCain will block most DoD reprogramming requests

Unless it\'s an emergency, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told Defense Secretary Leon Panetta he would block requests by the Defense Department for reprogramming...

Federal News Network Staff

March 14, 2012 7:40 am

< a min read

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he will no longer approve reprogramming requests that shift money between Defense Department accounts

McCain, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has the power to singlehandedly block reprogramming requests because he is one of eight people who must unanimously sign off on the transfers.

Defense News reported other than for emergencies, McCain said he wouldn’t support Pentagon requests to move money until he received a detailed report on money transfers over the last two years.

DoD leaders have used reprogramming to move money between budget accounts as needs change during the year and to cover shortfalls.

According to McCain, Congress approved tranfers totaling $12 billion to $15 billion in 2011. So far this year, Congress has received seven transfer requests from DoD that add up to more than $850 million.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.