Last week, six U.S. Senators, including John McCain (R–AZ) and Jon Kyl (R–AZ), endorsed draft legislation that would block the automatic defense cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011for fiscal year (FY) 2013. Under their proposal, those additional cuts to the Pentagon would be offset by targeting spending… Read more
Abstract: The Budget Control Act, which ended the impasse over the debt ceiling and created a Super Committee to identify more deficit reduction proposals, cuts the defense budget by $1 trillion and paves the way for further reductions next year. These cuts come on top of successive rounds of deep… Read more
Washington policymakers, facing unprecedented deficits and drastic measures to deal with a $14.3 trillion debt, are considering cutting the budget for national defense. Yet as former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, his successor Leon Panetta, and other U.S. officials like Admiral Mike Mullen have said, defense spending is not the… Read more
Today, America is asking its military to do more than ever before. In the past 24 months alone, U.S. military forces have conducted their 10th year of combat operations in Afghanistan, wound down operations in Iraq, started a new no-fly zone in Libya, dramatically escalated counterterrorism operations in Yemen, maintained… Read more
Abstract: In confronting the federal debt crisis, Congress should take special care not to cut the defense budget in ways that would reduce the U.S. military’s ability to dissuade, deter, and, if necessary, defeat future adversaries. While America has made significant cuts to defense… Read more
In the course of his April 13 speech on the fiscal crisis, President Obama took the opportunity to renounce his own defense budget, which he unveiled only two months ago. According to the White House, he is seeking $400 billion in additional defense cuts between now and fiscal year (FY)… Read more
Abstract: The Obama Administration’s FY 2012 budget request suggests that the Administration has subordinated the nation’s defense needs to budget goals. The proposed budget continues the trend of reducing defense spending below safe levels while allowing entitlement spending to grow unchecked. To begin correcting… Read more
Testimony before The Readiness Subcommittee of The House Committee on Armed Services March 3, 2011 My name is Mackenzie Eaglen. I am… Read more
Right now, Congress is determining how to fund the government through the remainder of the fiscal year. One proposal on the table in the House of Representatives includes funding defense significantly below President Obama’s requested levels for fiscal year (FY) 2011 by roughly $13 billion. While it is easy to… Read more
In anticipation of Congress receiving the President’s defense budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2012 on February 14, Members would be wise to carefully review the House and Senate versions of the pending FY 2011 defense appropriations bills. This would help Congress gain valuable insight into what defense funding may… Read more
Abstract: President Barack Obama’s defense budget request perpetuates a long-standing pattern of underfunding defense needs. Defense spending is already near historic lows, and the Administration’s budget would reduce it to levels unprecedented during wartime. Furthermore, Congress appears poised to repeat the past mistake of… Read more
Abstract: After the sweeping cuts in the FY 2010 defense spending bill and with the proposed reductions in FY 2011, further defense cuts would jeopardize long-standing core capabilities that comprise the foundation of American military strength. Nevertheless, policymakers should relentlessly pursue greater efficiencies within defense operations and eliminate waste and… Read more
Funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) for fiscal year (FY) 2011 is in disarray. Last year, Congress failed to pass the appropriations bills to fund federal agencies, so the government is now operating under a short-term continuing resolution (CR). With a limited number of legislative days and rapidly expiring… Read more
Testimony before the Committee on the Budget … Read more
There is little good news in the U.S. House of Representatives version of the continuing resolution (CR) spending bill for the Department of Defense (DoD) for fiscal year (FY) 2011. The House-passed CR would freeze defense spending for 2011 at FY 2010 levels, allowing for no… Read more
Over the past 50 years, 10 U.S. presidents have made annual budget requests to Congress, projecting deficits both big...… Read more
The word is out that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year. While every American shares the...… Read more
The U.S. Minuteman III intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) force faces an uncertain future, writes Mark...… Read more
In last week’s Heritage Libertad Radio program, we covered topics ranging from Libya and the earthquake, to Heritage...… Read more
In his State of the Union address tonight, President Obama is expected to announce a freeze on federal spending with...… Read more
In a report titled, “Long-Term Implications of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Budget,” the Congressional Budget Office...… Read more
After passing in the House, the stage is now set for a Senate vote to pass the “Cash for Clunkers” bill that would offer...… Read more
With congressional Democrats trying to resolve differences on the war supplemental, the Blue Dog Coalition has yet to...… Read more