Lawmaker raises concerns over timing of budget cuts

House Armed Services Committee ranking member John McHugh, R-N.Y., on Wednesday expressed concerns to Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the Pentagon's fiscal 2010 budget request is dictating the outcome of the sweeping Quadrennial Defense Review now under way.

During an Armed Services Committee hearing, Gates said he did not want to wait for the conclusion of the QDR, a comprehensive examination of defense strategy and force structure that will be completed early next year. Had he done that, Gates said, there would have been no significant changes to the defense budget until fiscal 2012, when he said he expects his tenure as Defense secretary will be over. McHugh and other committee Republicans said they need more justification for weapons systems cuts and other decisions Gates made during the Pentagon's budget deliberations.

"While it's undeniable that you're taking the department in a different direction ... the Congress has not had the benefit of reviewing the analysis and data to determine how your decisions will take the department in the best direction possible," McHugh said.

Gates responded that nondisclosure agreements barring senior officials from discussing the budget process have been lifted, allowing officials to discuss all aspects of the budget with lawmakers.