Defense Priorities Dangerously Off-Track

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Defense priorities dangerously off-track

August 20, 2010
By Bethany S. Murphy



With an exploding budget crisis, President Obama is proposing spending cuts, but not where you’d think. Has he decided to stop campaigning on behalf of Democratic Congressional members up for reelection at the taxpayers’ expense to the tune of two million dollars? No. Has he decided not to spend $100,000 per teaching job to bail out teachers’ unions? No. Instead, he has decided to cut defense funding and reclassify what constitutes defense spending. The National Security Strategy now declaring a focus on climate change, green energy, and women’s rights.



Iran and North Korea are rapidly developing nuclear weapons capability while the Obama administration relies on more of the same sanctions that not only haven’t worked, but that the administration itself continues to undermine. We are still fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and facing the continued threat of terror attacks, all while President Obama nickel and diming American’s safety. In 2007 America spent near historic lows as a percent of GDP on defense. With this further reduction in defense spending, America is even more vulnerable to attack from rogue states, terrorist groups, and conventional military powers such as China and Russia.



The American people do not support this cut in defense spending, with 57 percent in a new NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll calling the possibility “unacceptable.” Kim Holmes stated in a recent post on The Foundry:



“Defense is not the culprit of our budget woes, and it shouldn’t bear the brunt of the Obama Administration’s efforts to look fiscally responsible. This year, defense accounts for 19 percent of all federal spending, compared with 57 percent for our entitlement programs.”



At such a crucial turning point in America’s history, the first year and a half of President Obama’s administration has been devoted to passing “stimulus” packages that have not spurred the promised economic growth, a government takeover of the healthcare industry opposed by a majority of voters, and climate change legislation whose costs would far outweigh any benefits all while the deficit continues to expand. When discussing two wars America is fighting in the Middle East our President consistently fails to mention the word “victory.” Our nation’s military deserve to have the resources and support necessary to protect the American people, not to have their own budget slashed to pay for pet projects coveted by the President’s base and other liberal interest groups.



In the newly published Solutions for America The Heritage Foundation gives recommendations for a defense strategy that will actually defend the American people.