WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2017 — The U.S. Congress must pass a defense spending bill and not another continuing resolution to fund the Defense Department, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said today at a Pentagon news briefing.

White, speaking to reporters with Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff, said the department has been operating under a continuing resolution for more than 1,070 days.

Continuing Resolutions Negatively Impact Readiness

“That’s nearly three years,” White said. “[Defense Secretary Jim Mattis] has said that continuing resolutions negatively impact the readiness of our forces and equipment.”

A continuing resolution is a temporary funding measure that Congress can use to fund the federal government for a limited amount of time.

The longer the continuing resolution replaces a budget, the more damaging it is to DoD, White said.

“We hope the Congress can pass an FY18 budget before Dec. 8, when the continuing resolution ends,” she added.

(Follow Terri Moon Cronk on Twitter: @MoonCronkDOD)