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News Articles > Beltway

Foreign Policy, March 21st, 2013: the number of people outside the Pentagon who think long-term planning for a drawdown is necessary is growing and spreading across the political spectrum. Continue Reading…

Wall Street Journal, March 12th, 2013: Paul Ryan on Tuesday offered his party’s most provocative fiscal framework in years, calling for Medicare and Medicaid overhauls and new limits on defense spending not previously endorsed by party leaders. Continue Reading…

National Journal, January 21st, 2013: Defense cuts may be on the table in a new fiscal-cliff deal, as the deadline to avoid sequestration is just weeks away. National Journal’s National Security Insiders say: Go for it. A whopping 80 percent of Insiders said the defense budget, over the next decade, could be reasonably reduced by more than $100 billion. The biggest faction of Insiders, 35 percent, supported cuts between $100 billion and $300 billion. Continue Reading…

Defense Department Prepares Plans for Sequestration, American Forces Press Service, December 5th, 2012

Fiscal Cliff Offers Hint at More Defense Cuts, AP, December 5th, 2012: even the fiercest defense hawks acknowledge that the Pentagon faces another financial hit.

Toss Wasteful Defense Weapons Programs Off the Cliff, Rep. Barbara Lee, Huffington Post blog, December 5th, 2012: no serious plan to address the deficit can go forward without defense spending reforms on the table.

Former Defense Officials Call For Military Spending Cuts, Think Progress, December 5th, 2012: In previous eras, increased defense spending may have been required to maintain security. That is no longer the case.

Defense industry acknowledges likelihood of Pentagon budget cuts, Washington Post, December 4th, 2012: some defense industry executives have begun to acknowledge that avoiding significant cuts to weapons programs may be impossible over the long term.

Global Research, November 15th, 2012: the secret final offer from Obama to Boehner for a “grand bargain” on austerity and tax “reform” [during their last negotiation in] 2011, spells out an unprecedented assault on social welfare programs and a pro-corporate revamping of the tax system. Continue Reading…

Program on Government Oversight, November 15th, 2012: Not everyone may agree with everything [Sen. Tom] Coburn recommends should be cut, but there are certainly some doozies in the report, including: An app that lets you know when it’s time for a coffee break; Research which found that “Fish could show the nation how to overcome political polarization and promote democracy;” $1.5 million for a Pentagon project “to develop its own brand of jerky treats that are the bomb!”

Government Executive, November 15th, 2012: Regardless of what happens in the current talks over avoiding the fiscal cliff, the defense budget ought to be in for a drawdown during the next decade, according to two new studies. Continue Reading…

The Nation, November 16th, 2012: Weinstein encouraged people to participate in the SAVE For All campaign, which now has the participation of over 1,900 organizations and many individuals nationwide. It’s pushing for a deficit reduction agreement that protects low-income and vulnerable people; promotes job creation; increases revenues from fair sources; and seeks responsible savings from the Pentagon and other areas. Continue Reading…

Politico, October 26th, 2012: “We have to dramatically reduce the cost of defense, whether there is a sequester or not. Maybe the sequester focuses their attention, and to the extent it does, that’s a helpful thing,” [said Grover Norquist]. Norquist hinted that a formal coalition to oppose a sequester punt was in the works, and that something could be put together within the week. Continue Reading…

Common Dreams, May 23rd, 2012: All 535 members of Congress are now on the record declaring that they have not authorized the use of military force against Iran in the latest round of legislation passed in the House and the Senate. This unanimous ‘un-declaration’ of war by Congress is a crucial victory. Continue Reading…

CNN Security Clearance, January 25^th, 2012: Obama’s plan to cut the defense budget by half a trillion dollars over the coming decade include trimming the Army by at least 38,000 soldiers and grounding of a number of drones. Continue Reading and see More Drones, Fewer Troops and Army to Cut Brigades Amid Tighter Spending

New York Times, December 27^th, 2011: Congress could deadlock over extending unemployment insurance, the payroll tax cut ($100 billion for the last 10 months of 2012), payments for Medicare doctors, TANF, a millionaire’s tax, and over building the Keystone XL pipeline. Continue Reading…

The Hill, September 8^th, 2011: Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)….told congressional leaders to find someone else to fill the supercommittee seat he had been offered if the panel intended to further trim the Pentagon budget beyond the $350 billion over 10 years that was included in the August debt deal. [He] added that he will push that it “waive” the defense-specific triggers that were in the August debt law. Continue Reading….

5/17/2011

GOP Budget Cuts Would Hit Poor Hard
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55088.html

House 2012 Budget: Health Care Costs Increase by $7 for Every $1 in Government Savings

April 26^th, 2011

[T]he Ryan proposal will increase health care costs for seniors by more than seven dollars for every dollar it saves the government. Continue Reading….

10/8/2010
Less Government Means Less Defense Spending, Too
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703843804575534194027224132.html?mod=djkeyword Comments