Cutting defense spending
Wanna know why nobody wants to cut defense spending? It’s because defense dollars are spread all over the country. There’s a military installation in every state. Many companies have contracts with the DoD. So any discussion of cuts ends up with folks saying “don’t cut our piece, cut their piece.” No Congressman wants their piece of the pie taken away.
If DOGE was serious about government efficiency, it would be attacking the DoD with the same alacrity that it is cutting NIH, NSF, USDA, CDC, FDA, NPS and NFS. As Willy Sutton famously said, that’s where the money is. The fact that they haven’t fired 30% of the troops, closed 50% of the military bases and cut the budget by 30% shows that this isn’t about spending tax money efficiently, it’s about finding the most politically expedient path to extending tax cuts for the top 1% and corporations. Full stop.
List of US military installations
If DOGE was serious about government efficiency, it would be attacking the DoD with the same alacrity that it is cutting NIH, NSF, USDA, CDC, FDA, NPS and NFS. As Willy Sutton famously said, that’s where the money is. The fact that they haven’t fired 30% of the troops, closed 50% of the military bases and cut the budget by 30% shows that this isn’t about spending tax money efficiently, it’s about finding the most politically expedient path to extending tax cuts for the top 1% and corporations. Full stop.
List of US military installations
“No Congressman wants their piece of the pie taken away.” I agree. Well planned and executed…consummate corruption.
All the more reason to talk about “defense” spending, not avoid it like the plague!
BTW–DOGE is at the Pentagon. “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed the Department of Government Efficiency to the Pentagon, where Elon Musk will face an accounting system that has never passed an audit and decades of rampant price gouging by defense contractors.”
They should have started there, where there’s an abundance of low hanging, rotten fruit to pick.
@John,
LOL! The FY23 budget was $820 billion. 10% would be $82 billion. Let me know when DOGE actually cuts $82 billion from the US defense budget. Let me know when Congress passes a budget that cuts $82 billion from the US defense budget. Until then, it’s all just clickbait for the rubes. I’m not falling for it. YMMV.
Back when the Pentagon wanted to close bases it took an act of congress specifying the closures would be all or none just to forestall the reps from killing other district bases and trying to keep their own open. As I recall just getting them to agree to that was a struggle. It wasn’t as if everyone did not know keeping the redundant bases open was a waste of money. But your waste is my income and all that.
@Jane,
Thanks for your comment.
Yes, people who think the defense budget can be cut significantly, particularly with a Republican president and Congress, also believe in the tooth fairy. And DOGE ain’t the tooth fairy.
This reminds me of Bush 41. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and pressure from deficit hawks, defense spending was cut significantly. The B2 Stealth bomber, some missile programs, etc. Problem is for every dollar of government spending cut, some other entity must increase spending to maintain demand in the economy. That didn’t happen in 1990 and recession followed. Good news is Bush was a one term president because of the poor economy. Hopefully history repeats itself! Of course Trump could succeed in cutting taxes on tips, Social Security payments and a few other things on the demand side. Supply side tax cuts will not work as Bush 43 found out. I doubt it will happen or be enough to make up the difference.