GOP weighs increase in war funds to skirt Pentagon limits

Associated Press ^ | Mar 16, 2015 7:51 PM EDT | Andrew Taylor

[Olog-hai]

House Republicans are considering adding tens of billions of dollars to President Barack Obama’s request for overseas military operations in an effort to get around tight limits on Pentagon spending. The move comes as Republicans are set to unveil their latest budget plan.

Obama requested $51 billion for Pentagon operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, but GOP aides said Monday party leaders are weighing figures above $90 billion—enough to surpass Obama’s proposal to spend $38 billion above the limits for the budget year beginning in October.

GOP defense hawks have promised not to support any budget that doesn’t at least match Obama’s $561 billion request for defense, but a 2011 budget “sequestration” law imposes a $523 billion limit on the defense budget—an automatic cut of $54 billion below previously agreed levels.

War spending, however, is outside the limits and offers an easy way around the automatic cuts imposed after the failure of lawmakers to replace sequestration with alternative deficit-cutting moves. …

[4rcane]

anyway to waste more money

[Olog-hai]

And this is apparently for Obama’s “four more wars”. (Remember that rhetoric?)

[Wolfie]

Why not? The U.S. is flush...spend, spend, spend!

[House Atreides]

I’m tired of “let’s trade a 10 year reduction for a ‘temporary’ 2-year increase”. The increased spending ALWAYS comes but the off-setting long term reductions NEVER come.

At least be honest with the spending. If you want to increase it in one area NOW reduce it in another area NOW.