Roll Call recently reported that Admiral Mullen, the nation's top military commander, has warned lawmakers that the military is close to running out of money, and needs supplemental funding passed as soon as possible.

“We need [the supplemental appropriations bill] very badly before the Memorial Day recess. We stop paying soldiers on the 15th of June and we have precious little flexibility with respect to that,” Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview at his Pentagon office last week. “Clearly that creates incredible constraints and difficulties for us.”
 
Without the extra funding, Mullen said, the Defense Department would be forced to delay contract awards and withhold other spending to pay for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. “It makes it extremely difficult to execute the day-to-day business of the Pentagon without knowing the money is coming,” he said.

It’s hardly new for the Pentagon to issue a dire warning about being strapped for cash. Defense officials in recent years have repeatedly warned of massive layoffs if supplemental spending bills were not passed. …

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters, “I think we’ll do our best to finish this before the Memorial Day break, but if we don’t, it’s no big deal. There’s money there.” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said late last week that he was not sure the House would be ready to consider the measure this week. …

How do Congressional leaders react to this dire news?  They tack on number of unrelated domestic spending programs and use unprecendented parliamentary procedures that will only delay passage.  But as Senate Majority Leader Reid said, he thinks "its no big deal" if our troops aren't funded, contracts aren't paid, and civilian defense employee layoffs loom.  Emergency troop funding should be used to fund our troops in a timely manner – before Congress adjourns for the Memorial Day holiday – and it should not be used as a vehicle for dragging millions upon millions in wasteful pork spending across the finish line.