Pentagon lands extra $50 billion out of debt deal

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/02/pentagon-lands-extra-50-billion-out-of-debt-deal/

Out of a bill that was supposed to cut government spending and waste wherever it is found, lawmakers managed to cobble together an additional $50 billion for the U.S. Defense Department's budget, using an accounting trick to disguise the move.

Instead of cutting $400 billion from the Pentagon's budget over the next 12 years like President Barack Obama proposed in April, Republicans put their own cuts at $350 billion over the next 13 years, leaving the nation's defense apparatus an extra $50 billion it hadn't planned on.

Disguised as a cut, the Pentagon's budget boost would have gone unnoticed in the press were it not for McClatchy reporter Nancy A. Youssef.

At the time of his recommendation, President Obama said that part of the savings might come from the scheduled withdrawal of the remaining U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year, as well as a planned drawdown of forces in Afghanistan.

More at the link --

[brentspeak]

1. "Shared sacrifice" n/t

[TBF]

2. The pentagon always ends up with the money. nt

[William769]

3. Which of course will come from social programs. NT

[avaistheone1]

4. Really shameful. Even the republicans I talk to want military spending slashed.

The Pentagon is out out of control. Talk about the tail wagging the dog! They are bankrupting this country. PERIOD.

[Recursion]

5. Err... 50 billion more than the 400 billion cut they had been looking at before

Gates came up with 400 billion in cuts before he left but that was DOA in the House; the deal at least cuts 350B.

This is like saying Medicare is getting an increase, since the deal gives Medicare more money than the Ryan budget did.

[gratuitous]

6. Well, I am just SHOCKED

Who ever would have thought that through some sub-rosa legislative legerdemain the Pentagon cuts wouldn't be quite as severe as originally promised? But I'm sure the cuts projected over the next 13 years will remain firmly in place, right? I mean, otherwise it just looks like the Democrats got rolled big time by a bunch of mealy-mouthed dishonest Republicans, and I have been assured several times over the last few days that the Pentagon will be taking its own budgetary hit along with the hoi polloi.