Modbert
Daydream Believer
- Sep 2, 2008
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Cut the Defense Budget? Over My Cold, Dead Gavel | Danger Room | Wired.com
Well this should not come as any surprise. I don't think any of us actually expected the GOP to go ahead and cut the military budget that is filled with more waste than a landfill.
In his first post-election speech, Rep. Buck McKeon, the California Republican whos about to become the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, warned that cutting defense spending was a red line for me and should be a red line for all Americans. Speaking to the conservative Foreign Policy Institute in Washington, McKeon argued that the Pentagons projected one percent real growth in the defense budget over the next five years is a net cut for investment and procurement accounts.
A defense budget in decline portends an America in decline, McKeon said, arguing that cuts will have geopolitical consequences, undermin[ing] our ability to project power, strengthen our adversaries and weaken our alliances.
During a post-speech press conference, McKeon didnt sound like he was out to cut any specific programs. He reminded reporters that he supports the funding of a second engine for the F-35, something both Obama and Gates consider unnecessary. With all the talk of cuts, he said, pretty soon, my concern is that we end up back with a bow and arrow.
Well this should not come as any surprise. I don't think any of us actually expected the GOP to go ahead and cut the military budget that is filled with more waste than a landfill.