April 2019 Update

On March 11, President Donald Trump released the proposed federal budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. The budget requests $750.0 billion in total national defense spending, as well as increases in National Guard Personnel and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding. It also requests an increase in Air National Guard end strength above FY19 levels.

Additionally, the budget requested several other provisions beneficial to the National Guard, including:

• $1.2 billion for 64 UH-60 Black Hawk M model helicopters for the Army National Guard
• $155.7 million for 23 UH-60 Black Hawk L and V model helicopters for the Army National Guard
• $199.2 million for 512 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) for the Army National Guard
• $4.2 billion for 48 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the Air Force
• $1.0 billion for 8 F-15EX aircraft for the Air Force
• $2.3 billion for 12 KC-46A Pegasus aircraft for the Air Force
• $884.2 million for 12 HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters for the Air Force
• A 3.1% military personnel pay raise
• $91.3 million for the National Guard Counterdrug Program
• $9.6 billion to advance DoD cyber missions, including DoD network defense, supporting combatant commander requirements, and U.S. homeland defense

Congress has a compressed timeline to enact the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and defense appropriations legislation. The Senate Armed Services committee will consider its version of the NDAA during the week of May 20 and the House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to consider its version of the NDAA in early June. Additionally, the House of Representatives scheduled all of June with the goal of passing all FY20 House appropriations legislation by June 30.