National security spending could be cut by as much as $700 billion in a deal to raise the debt limit, defense sources said.
That’s almost twice the amount President Obama originally proposed.
Obama directed the Defense Department and other national-security agencies to slash $400 billion by 2023. But in the closed-door talks to raise the debt ceiling, larger Pentagon funding cuts have been seriously discussed, several sources said, putting the number between $600 billion and $700 billion over a decade.
A final decision has yet to be made, but the sources said negotiators have not ruled out making deeper cuts than Obama planned.
As the Aug. 2 deadline for defaulting on the debt approaches, GOP members have dug in and said any accord cannot include tax hikes.
Sources told The Hill recently that GOP negotiators are ready to break with recent Republican ideology by trading large defense cuts for not raising taxes as part of a debt-ceiling deal.
Cuts larger than $400 billion over a decade would serve two purposes for the Republicans: helping stave off tax increases and giving them campaign-trail fodder for the 2012 election cycle.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Bush and Obama administrations have dramatically increased annual Pentagon spending levels.
Democrats for years have raised concerns about this rate of growth, and called for Defense Department spending reductions.
(Source: The Hill)
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One Response
Why is it that Obama does everything in a way that is just not right. Cutting spending sounds good for a change… but its in the area of national defense. Does Obama go out of his way to be annoying?? Do they need a psych evaluation before taking office. Probably not if you look at the presidents since JFK.