National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007 -- (Senate - June 16, 2006)

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Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, as chairman of the Budget Committee, I regularly comment on appropriations bills that are brought to the Senate for consideration and present the fiscal comparisons and budgetary data. I believe it is useful to expand that practice, when required, for authorization bills that we consider.

S. 2766, the national Defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2007, is, of course, one of the most important bills the Congress brings up on an annual basis. As Senators know, the Budget Committee does not enforce the levels of the authorizations of appropriations contained in the bill, even though they constitute the vast majority of programs and projects addressed. Ultimately, those authorizations of appropriations only spend money once the Appropriations Committee acts on its Defense bill.

But there is another category of spending in the Defense authorization bill which the Budget Committee does enforce because passage of this bill and its signature by the President would create automatic spending. By that, I mean the direct spending or mandatory spending provisions in the bill.

According to a Congressional Budget Office estimate of June 9, 2006, S. 2766 as reported increases budget authority for mandatory spending by $458 million in fiscal year 2007 and $1.508 billion over the next 5 years. Corresponding outlays are $307 million in fiscal year 2007 and $1.416 billion over the next 5 years.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a table of direct spending for S. 2766 excerpted from CBO's official cost estimate be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:

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