The military budget should be substantially cut, but sequestration isn’t the way to do it. Congress should pass legislation to let the Pentagon avoid sequester, but only if the Pentagon offers a new defense plan that saves as much in a more sensible way.
The Budget Control Act told a joint congressional committee to forge a plan to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion. To encourage compromise, the law offered an alternative unpalatable to all: the taking—sequestration—of that amount over nine years, with half coming from the military. To maximize pain, the law applies sequestration equally to all non-exempt agency accounts, including the Pentagon’s. The president can exclude only personnel costs, so that salaries are fully paid.
The super committee’s failure compels the president to take about $54 billion (the Pentagon’s annualized share adjusted for lowered interest payments) from the Pentagon next January, whatever its size. From 2014-2021, the law imposes spending caps for each discretionary spending category, including defense, and sequesters any excess.
No comments:
Post a Comment