Posted on 08/02/2011 9:08:50 PM PDT by Racehorse
Defense Department officials are bracing for potential spending cuts in a deficit-reduction deal approved by Congress that could have financial impact on Texas and states with military bases and personnel.
Weapons systems, ships and aircraft could provide a target for a new congressional commission formed to find budget savings, but benefits and personnel reductions are also on the table. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that the armed services must prepare for spending restraints not seen over the past two decades, and he called for a review that includes a reduction in personnel, military pay and retiree benefits.
That could impact Texas, the state with the largest number of active-duty military personnel — 131,548, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
SNIP
In Texas, funding for two hospitals, a $161 million facility at Lackland AFB in San Antonio and a $136 million center at Fort Bliss near El Paso, saw construction spending slashed in appropriation bills for fiscal year 2012, which begins Oct. 1.
(Excerpt) Read more at mysanantonio.com ...
The Defense Department must look to the budget to decide how best accomplish its mission: to defend and protect the nation.
Sad but true, military retirees who counted on their benefits as deferred compensation are not mission essential.
Meanwhile does ACORN and Planned Parenthood still receive maximum funding? Does anybody know? If so, then what an outrage.
Just bring back 30,000 of the 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea, put 10,000 on the border, and count the savings
A good start would be the realization that the one nation to be defended in the USA, starting at the border. We need to worry a whole lot more about our hemisphere and a whole lot less about the other. In the endless search for new crusades in the Old World, our last few presidents have neglected and taken for granted the security of the New World.
I think (hope) military retiree benefits are safe. Remember, the Dems are the party of protecting granny from the heartless Republicans.
Is the $325B cut that is part of the initial $1T of cuts and the potential $500B cut over nine years that is contingent on the failure of the super-committee to agree, are these cuts from current levels, which may be tolerable, or are they from future levels that assume a wind-down of current "wars"?
I would be grateful if someone could address that question.
Military retirees need to beware?
Hmm.
I do believe California has many more DD employees, not too mention military bases.
That should have happened by midnight, following 911. Instead, since then, the government turned it's back on our homeland borders, then invited in tens of thousand of Muslims, with a never ending line of foreigners and illegal aliens...All when millions of Americans are out of work.
Obama is still going to cut the Defense Department anyway. He said so himself. Congress really can’t do much about it.
There is so much leftist social and political pet causes in the Federal budget it is absolutely shameful. We have whole departments dedicated to a permanent left wing power structure: Labor, Energy, Education, EPA, etc. This does not touch all the branches and divisions in every agency dedicated to pushing and feeding the Left agenda.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/will-the-defense-cuts-stick/2011/08/02/gIQAHVnAqI_blog.html
Still funding La Raza, cell phones for the poor, NPR and PBS though?
We should pull our troops out of Haiti, Kosovo, middle east, Europe before S Korea. South Korea really is threaened by crazy commies.
Tell me, are we talking budget cuts like a “decrease in the increase” or real cuts like cutting from the present budget? I can’t keep this government double talk straight.
What a joke, first they give queers the go ahead with DADT repeal, then refuse to pay them. Har De Har Har Har.
As America continues to weaken its defense structure, the Chinese and Russians have to be loving it. They`ll be happy to fill the vacuum.
If you came back from Vietnam, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq or Afghanistan with shrapnel in your back, you are less worthy than illegals taking in SSI direct deposit checks and Medicaid, or one of "Eric Holder's People" with the Congressional Criminal Black Caucus and the racist Obamas behind you.
That is a fact in today's America.
and he (Gates) called for a review that includes a reduction in personnel, military pay and retiree benefits.Oh yeah, start there you asshat.
We have a friend who retired after close to 30 years, an E-8 (1SG) who spent most of his service in the SF (MOS-18E), first with the 5th Group then the 10th Group, stationed in (cough) 'Germany'. He had to find a fricken job just so he could pay the rent, and still had to shop at the PX (where I cannot say). That was one of his *many* benefits (/s) for doing things most people would wet their pants if asked to do.
So yeah Gates, cut the pay and retirement benefits. Jerk.
Then they can PAY our every cent to be there. It is an insult to every American that super-rich S. Korea floods our nation with their cars, yet makes our cars too expensive to buy there. They get away with appalling protectionism because of this "special relationship". Well we can't afford such relationships anymore. So pay up or face the nutbags in the North alone.
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