Pentagon Spending and Budget Constraints
Current Topic in Brief
Defense spending has almost doubled since 2001, to almost $700 billion in 2010 — representing about 20 percent of the entire Federal budget. Whereas as recently as a few months ago, few Members of Congress seemed willing to call for defense reductions as a way to help put the nation back on a more sustainable economic path, such spending may no longer be untouchable or sacrosanct. In President Obama’s new budget plan, announced in mid-April, spending on national security — including parts of the Departments of Homeland Security and Energy, in addition to Defense — would be cut by $400…
