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Abstract
Before Congress finalized a two-year spending deal, the Defense Department planned to finance a multibillion-dollar budget buildup through its controversial Overseas Contingency Operations account.Or were they not willing to spend the political capital necessary to fund it in the base budget?" Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense budget analyst at the American Enterprise Institute who previously worked as a congressional staffer, characterized the situation as a "hot mess," noting DOD's FY-19 OCO request needs to be amended by about $20 billion to account for the terms of the congressional deal.Kate Blakeley, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said she was surprised to hear Norquist characterize OCO as he did, given that OMB released funding tables that appeared to contradict his statements.