Conservatives (and not just of the Tea Party variety) Call for Defense Cuts
Laicie Olson | Dec 03, 2010 |
0 This week, Americans for Tax Reform released a letter, signed by a strong coalition of conservative leaders, asking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) to reject, “the notion that spending cuts can be avoided in certain parts of the federal budget.”
From the letter:
Proponents of a larger Department of Defense budget have argued that security outlays should be weighed against mandatory spending levels, suggesting that explosive entitlement growth serves as an appropriate metric for defense spending. This not only ignores the unsustainable nature of entitlement spending but also the reality of defense spending, which has increased by 86 percent since 1998.
[snip]
And yet, defense spending continues to enjoy protected status. The Pentagon is slated to spend $6.5 trillion over the next ten years – equal to the current projected deficit spending in the same time period. Ignoring the burden military spending places on the taxpayers promotes the same reckless spending ethos that led to failed “stimulus” policies, government bailouts and a prolonged economic recession.
[snip]
True fiscal stewards cannot eschew real spending reform by protecting pet projects in the federal budget. Any such Department of Defense favoritism would signal that the new Congress is not serious about fiscal responsibility and not ready to lead.
This is a serious statement from the likes of Grover Norquist, Brent Bozell, Richard Viguerie, and others.
The full list of names is after the jump…
House to fund the government through December 17 -- Beyond that, there be dragons
Laicie Olson | Dec 01, 2010 | 0 
CQ Today reports that Senate and House appropriations panel aides have completed an informal conference of the fiscal 2011 Defense spending bill. The agreement is set to be included in a Senate omnibus proposal that Senate Democrats hope to pass as early as next week. At the same time, Democratic appropriators are hard at work on Plan B: a long-term continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through the entire fiscal year.
At this point nothing is certain. Senate Republicans oppose an omnibus and could block the proposal, and in that case, even a yearlong CR is not assured. In the end, Congress could choose to pass a short-term CR and defer any decisions to the next Congress, effectively wiping the slate clean and throwing out any progress that was made this year.
Another approach, supported by Susan Collins of Maine, would be to pass a “minibus,” that covers only the bills dealing with the Defense Department, veterans’ programs and Homeland Security. Collins said yesterday that she opposes bringing an omnibus to the Senate floor. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has also said that he opposes the omnibus approach, but Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye said Tuesday that the chances of securing GOP support for the omnibus are “beginning to look good.”
Whatever the case, the current CR is set to expire December 3, so the House is reportedly preparing to vote this week on a second CR that will fund the government through December 17. After that, it’s anybody’s guess.
Security Mattters, Defense Spending, CR, House, Senate (all tags)
