Obama plans to “freeze” federal programs and increase military spending. This “freeze” is really a cut, which will cause severe cuts in nutrition, education, energy, and transportation, which is already only 17% of the total federal spending. The proposal spending will be $447 billion for each of the next three fiscal years. In this time, inflation will wash away the purchasing power of that total, meaning cuts in the programs listed above. Military spending is roughly 55% of the discretionary spending, in the current fiscal year, and will go up even more next year. According to the Office of Management and Budgets project, over the next decade, the military budget should go up an additional $522 billion. It costs about $1 million a year for a U.S. Soldier to go to Afghanistan, money that could be used to stop war and actually help people.
Title: Obama: Cut Domestic, Increase Military
Source: Institute of Public Accuracy, January 26, 2010
URL: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/01/26-14
Author: Sam Husseini and David Zupan
Researcher: Molly Lipinski
Faculty Evaluator: Julie Andrzejewski
St Cloud State University