Robert Hale, the former Defense Department comptroller and a current fellow at Booz Allen Hamilton, said DoD faced budgetary turmoil during the past five fiscal years due to Congress’ approach to resolving fiscal issues, GovExec reported Wednesday.
Charles Clark writes Hale provided details of his personal written account of how sequestration and a partial government shutdown in 2013 affected DoD and its employees and contractors.
The 2013 events were “very disruptive, particularly the cessation of training, the stopped facilities maintenance and the stopped civilian hiring, which made us less prepared for major contingencies,†he told audience at a Brookings Institution forum Wednesday.
Hale noted he developed plans to deal with a federal shutdown during his tenure at the department and that his team had to reprogram funds as well as function under continuing resolutions, the publication reports.
“Our best hope is to bring into the budget debate the entitlements and revenues, but I don’t see that until after the 2016 elections,” he added to forum audience.
