Washington, D.C.—Congressman Don Bacon (NE-R-02) joined Congressmen Henry Cuellar (TX-D-28), Jeff Fortenberry (NE-R-01), and Austin Scott (GA-R-08) to introduce H.R. 6229, the Air Force Budget Transparency Act of 2020, which will increase United States Air Force budget transparency by discontinuing a practice of “pass through” budgeting where non-Air Force spending is included in the Air Force budget. 

For many years, the “pass through” budgeting items have accumulated and now account for a full 20 percent of the Air Force’s budget. The result is an inflated overall budget that obscures the true investment levels for the United States Air Force. 

“In fiscal year 2021, 18 percent of Air Force total obligation authority is passed through the Air Force budget to fund non-Air Force programs,” said Rep. Bacon. “No other military branch has a comparable pass-through budget, and this has become a convenient administrative conduit for funding a collection of non-Air Force classified and unclassified programs. This legislation is critical in order to invest in our Armed Forces to ensure our service members are equipped and capable of protecting our country.”

 “Sometimes it is critical for the Department of Defense to keep things classified in order to protect our country. However, Congress should not be the ones in the dark,” said Rep. Cuellar. “This legislation will discontinue the DoD's practice of "pass-through" budgeting and provide a more accurate budget to the American people. As a senior member of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations, I will continue to ensure that Americans’ tax dollars are being properly spent and their national security interests are being well served. I want to thank Congressmen Don Bacon, Jeff Fortenberry and Austin Scott for their leadership on this issue.”

“I commend my colleague Don Bacon for his initiative to modernize Air Force budgeting.  This is an innovative solution for good government and furthers transparency and efficiency,” said Rep. Fortenberry. 

“I’m very proud to work with Reps. Bacon, Cuellar, and Fortenberry on the Air Force Budget Transparency Act of 2020. This important legislation will move non-Air Force funding from within the Air Force budget to better show equity among the services in their funding lines. Fully funding our Armed Forces is essential to tackling the threats our nation faces, equipping our servicemembers for their missions, and investing in the critical platforms and systems of tomorrow,” said Rep. Austin Scott.

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