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Senate Budget Dems Push For Defense Reconciliation Spending Details, Cite ‘Slush Fund’ Concerns

Senate Budget Dems Push For Defense Reconciliation Spending Details, Cite ‘Slush Fund’ Concerns
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) speaks with service members deployed to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, during a visit to the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) March 26, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Moore)

Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee have raised "significant concern” with the Pentagon’s move to classify reconciliation spending plans, urging the department to provide more public details on how the $150 billion is being allocated. In a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, led by Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the lawmakers say the classification decision “risks further turning reconciliation funding into a slush fund.” “Classifying the spending plan undermines congressional oversight and accountability. Even at the height of the…

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