AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.

The Sword and the Purse: the why and how of congressional delegation of budget authority to DoD.(Workshop Report)

Armed Forces Comptroller

| June 22, 2005 | Schmidt, Paul | COPYRIGHT 2007 American Society of Military Comptrollers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

Commander Philip J. Candreva

SC, USN, Lecturer for the Graduate School of Business & Public Policy

Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California

"For decades, Presidential administrations have sought to wrap their finger around the purse strings, push away the Congress, and ignore the Constitution ... it does not matter what administration it is. It does not matter the political party of the president. What matters in nothing more than raw power. Congress has it. The executive branch wants it."

--U.S. Congress. Senate. Protecting the Constitutional Authorities of Congress, 108th Congress, 1st Session, 149 Cong Rec S5397, April 11, 2003

With these words from Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), Commander Philip J. Candreva opened his story about the delegation of budget authority as a tool for the legislative branch to preserve civilian control of the military. CDR Candreva is a lecturer in financial management at the Naval Postgraduate School. His presentation was based on an article he co-authored with L. R. Jones that will appear in the Spring 2006 issue of the Armed Forces & Society journal.

CDR Candreva suggests that the Defense Emergency Response Fund (DERF) may serve as a case in examining civil-military relations, the budgetary relationship between the Congress and the Department of Defense (DoD), and, ultimately, the dynamics of constitutional power.

Immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in September 2001--and lasting until October 2003--Congress delegated budget authority to DoD with unprecedented flexibility. The DERF was used by Congress "to delegate relatively unfettered spending authority" in order to rebuild New York City and to prosecute the immediate response to the terrorist attacks. (1) This was a significant departure from business as usual.

Rather, Congress generally follows familiar patterns of robust oversight and micromanagement of funding for military action. (2) As the initial shock of the attacks subsided, Congress became more concerned about the direction of the Bush administration's anti-terrorism initiatives (especially the war in Iraq). In addition, Congress was receiving Government Accountability Office and media reports of accounting mismanagement for contingency operations. Finally, competing issues began jockeying for "air time" in the…

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, and more
CONGRESS REIGN MAY BE SHORT.
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire May 21, 2004 700+ words
(From Financial Mail) Byline: Tom Lodge CONGRESS REIGN MAY BE SHORT Congress may make choices to favour the rural poor, but...India's national government will be led by the Congress Party - though it will not, after all, be headed...
2003 pre-Congress and Congress planning calendar: the 2003 pre-Congress and...
Magazine article from: AORN Journal January 1, 2003 700+ words
2003 pre-Congress and Congress planning calendar The 2003 pre-Congress and Congress planning calendar shows official AORN activities scheduled throughout the week. Use this calendar to plan your daily activities. 6 AM 7 AM 6:30 7:30 SATURDAY...
Congress gets a snub in Bihar.
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire January 9, 2005 700+ words
...Lalu Prasad Yadav yesterday stunned ally Congress party by slamming doors on its face for...will not hold any further talks with the Congress over sharing of seats in his home state...Lalu's outburst was a reaction to the Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) alliance...
Congress (J) and Congress (K).
Newspaper article from: Indian Express November 27, 2008 700+ words
The Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir is walking two paths at...Amarnath land row erupted appears to have pushed the Congress to follow "soft Hindutva" in Jammu, a traditional Congress stronghold. Competition with the BJP began in 2004...
Congress badges, Congress News, shuttle bus, interactive Congress stations,...
Magazine article from: AORN Journal January 1, 2001 700+ words
...from Headquarters work on-site during Congress to see that you have the best possible...in Denver will be fully staffed during Congress to assist members. Customer service...reached by calling (800) 755-2676 x 1. CONGRESS NEWS During Congress week, Congress...
Congress as a consumer of intelligence information.(Congressional Research...
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs Cumming, Alfred January 1, 2009 700+ words
...January 15, 2009 SUMMARY This report examines the role of Congress as a consumer of national intelligence and examines several issues that Congress might address in the 111th Congress. The President, by virtue of his role as commander-in...
Congress registration: Saturday, March 10, to Thursday, March 15, 2007.
Magazine article from: AORN Journal January 1, 2007 700+ words
To save money on Congress registration, register early--either...Online. If you choose to attend Pre-Congress, indicate which session(s) you...are four easy ways to register for Congress. You can * call (800) 755-2676...
Congress badges, Congress News, shuttle bus, computer stations, customer...
Magazine article from: AORN Journal January 1, 2000 700+ words
...Headquarters staff work on site during Congress to see that you have the best possible...this room. Editors and reporters for Congress News will be in Room 275. If you would like an event covered in Congress News, please see one of the editors...
Congress has no leader to match Pawar's stature.
News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire October 27, 2004 700+ words
...of the Maharashtra government underscores the high stakes that both the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)have in the post of chief minister. The Congress has dug its heels in, apprehensive that if it lets Sharad Pawar take...
2008 Congress information: Saturday, March 29, to Thursday, April 3, 2008.
Magazine article from: AORN Journal December 1, 2007 700+ words
The AORN Congress is the premier event for perioperative RNs who wish to excel in their profession. Congress offers attendees a variety of opportunities...their surgical teams and coworkers. Congress offers sessions tailored to staff nurses...
For more facts and information, see all results

Source: HighBeam Research, The Sword and the Purse: the why and how of congressional delegation...

©2010 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. About us | FAQs | Contact us | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions
Other Gale sites: Encyclopedia.com | HighBeam Research | Acquire Content | Books & Authors | Goliath | MovieRetriever | Smart QandA

The AccessMyLibrary advertising network includes: womensforum.com GlamFamily