Some very interesting developments on a growing collation of progressives and tea partiers who are calling for major cuts in Defense spending. A trillion dollars over the next ten years would buy a lot of healthcare and build a lot of roads. GOP Rep. Campbell Wants ‘Huge’ Cuts To Defense Budget Beyond What Gates Proposes: ‘This Is Just The Beginning’ As ThinkProgress and The Progress Report have documented, there is a growing coalition of both Tea Party-backed conservatives and stalwart progressives who are coming together to demand cuts to the bloated defense budget. This coalition was given further momentum in late November, when 23 top conservative leaders, including the presidents of Americans for Tax Reform and Americans For Prosperity, wrote an open letter demanding that defense cuts be part of any comprehensive deficit reduction effort.
Fixed. I wonder if a TSA cut is also on the table. Don't know what it does except for employing otherwise unemployable people.
To me cutting the defense budget has to start and end with cutting the number of military personnel. I want our people to still have the highest amount of money spent to make their job as safe as possible, but cutting the number by 25% or so would do wonders for the budget.
Better than cutting funding for the same number of people. If we cannot cut people then we cannot cut the budget.
Would love to see it happen. The neo cons have been looting our treasury for decades. If say 20% of the pentagon budget was rerouted to social spending and infrastructure improvements i'd imagine it'd go a long way to helping the deficit over the long term.
It goes without saying that cutting the defense budget starts with cutting the number of personnel. Having a GOP House opens up the opportunity to having a bipartisan agreement. But the next 2 years might be too partisan and nasty to get anything significant done.
hope it goes through - barney frank and ron paul proposed cutting $1 trillion over 10 years last summer.
I don't think it does. Most of the time they cut expensive weapon systems because it is easy to see the costs This has problems of not giving the military the far and away best chance of survival, but also does not take into account the future costs of veterans.
Defense spending is so ingrained in the DC area. It's a big factor for the higher cost of living and a huge part of why the DC area was insulated from most of the economic downturn. I'm all for this idea, but I'd be very surprised if it happens. Way too many lobbyists and local influence...they'd want no part of it.
Love that mentality. "Cut 1 trillion here and spend 2 trillion there". How about we take that 1 trillion and pay down the deficit.
I think we should make the Defense Department do a zero-based budget (excluding veteran's benefits) every five years or so. Make them justify every base, every weapon, every vehicle, and all active and reserve personnel. I think it would do wonders.
It was just a suggestion. But yes, that could be done as well. I am heartened to see conservatives finally come around to the idea of cutting defense. It is our most wasteful part of the budget and the one that could stand the most in terms of streamlining.
