[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3706-S3707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1546. Mr. PAUL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to 
prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. TRANSFER AUTHORITY FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FUNDS 
                   TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS ON THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   DEFENSE OF A SEQUESTRATION OF FUNDS.

       (a) Authority To Transfer Authorizations.--
       (1) Authority.--The Secretary of Defense may transfer 
     amounts of authorizations made available to the Department of 
     Defense for a fiscal year between any such authorizations for 
     that fiscal year (or any subdivisions

[[Page S3707]]

     thereof) if the Secretary determines that the transfer--
       (A) is necessary to mitigate the effects on the Department 
     of Defense of a reduction in the discretionary spending limit 
     or the sequestration of direct spending under section 251A of 
     the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 
     (2 U.S.C. 901a) or a sequestration under section 251(a)(1) of 
     such Act (2 U.S.C. 901(a)(1)); and
       (B) is necessary in the national interest.
       (2) Limitation.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), the 
     total amount of authorizations that the Secretary may 
     transfer under the authority of this section in a fiscal year 
     may not exceed $50,000,000,000.
       (3) Exception for transfers between military personnel 
     authorizations.--A transfer of funds between military 
     personnel authorizations shall not be counted toward the 
     dollar limitation in paragraph (2).
       (4) Treatment of amounts transferred.--Amounts of 
     authorizations transferred pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be 
     merged with and be available for the same purposes as the 
     authorization to which transferred.
       (b) Limitations.--The authority provided by subsection (a) 
     to transfer authorizations--
       (1) may only be used to provide authority for items that 
     have a higher priority than the items from which authority is 
     transferred;
       (2) may not be used to provide authority for an item that 
     has been denied authorization by Congress; and
       (3) may not reduce the amount authorized for the fiscal 
     year concerned for an item by an amount in excess of the 
     amount equal to 50 percent of the amount otherwise authorized 
     to be appropriated for that fiscal year for that item.
       (c) Notice to Congress.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
     notify Congress of each proposed use of the transfer 
     authority in subsection (a).
       (d) Congressional Disapproval.--A transfer may not occur 
     under the authority in subsection (a) if Congress enacts a 
     joint resolution disapproving the transfer within the 30-day 
     period beginning on the notice to Congress of the transfer 
     pursuant to subsection (c).
       (e) Effect on Authorization Amounts.--A transfer made from 
     one account to another under the authority of this section 
     shall be deemed to increase the amount authorized for the 
     account to which the amount is transferred by an amount equal 
     to the amount transferred.
       (f) Construction of Authority.--The authority to transfer 
     funds under this section in addition to any other authority 
     available to the Secretary of Defense to transfer funds for 
     the Department of Defense under any other provision of law.
       (g) Sunset.--The authority to transfer funds under this 
     section shall expire on September 30, 2023.
                                 ______