Is there a problem and if so with whom would you seek to resolve it?

Imagine that you are HPSCI staffer receiving an informal budget briefing halfway through the third quarter of the fiscal year. On the agenda is a new, relatively modest, but high interest, multi-year long MIP project exploiting captured materials. It’s funding was originally included in the appropriated “no-year money” part of an Overseas Contingency Operations  supplemental to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act passed late last autumn. However, now the project lead has shared with you a rumor that someone in the “management chain” may seek to have the project’s budget authority recategorized as O&M, as part of current operations. She is concerned this would present a problem? Is there an issue? If so, how can it be resolved?

Imagine you are the SSCI staff project monitor of the jointly NIP(NGP)/MIP funded research and development of a new sensor. The funding was provided in the Defense Appropriations Act, and the project was included in the National Intelligence Authorization Act. However, for some reason it was deleted during conference discussions from the Defense Authorization Act. Is there a problem and if so with whom would you seek to resolve it?