Yes, we know that the warfighting account for the Pentagon isn’t actually an agency. It’s also magically “off-budget” so it doesn’t count against the latest budget caps, although it certainly does count in calculating the deficit.

The Winter Olympics only offer three medals for each event: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. So we’re not sure if 4th place OCO, with a budget request of $69 billion, gets an actual medal in the Federal Budget Olympics.

In the Gold Medal position is the Pentagon’s base budget of $597 billion.

The Silver Medal goes to Veterans Affairs which is w-a-a-a-a-y behind the Pentagon with $83 billion.

Bronze goes to Health and Human Services with $69.5 billion.

But we can tell you if OCO had received the amount the White House originally planned to spend, a whopping $89 billion, it would be standing on the medals podium waiting to take home the Silver.

So close, but foiled by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

GO TO THE FY19 BUDGET LANDING PAGE.