Barney Frank: Cut Military budget 25%

by: cece248

Tue Feb 24, 2009 at 15:16

Frank (D-Mass), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, held a Defense Spending forum and press conference that was attended by several members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus along with a couple of policy wonks (Drs. Lawrence Korb and Gordon Adams) to discuss how cutting wasteful military spending is absolutely vital in funding our domestic priorities and contributing to economic recovery.

Frank, who has the unique skill of being able to blend humor and pith into the most mundane of topics, traded enough blistering attacks with homespun humor to keep me awake through all of the policy-ese that was one or two level above my head.

"We cannot sustain the current level of military funding without revenue increases. There is excessive spending in our military budget. We need to get away from the idea that the only jobs American can afford to create are the one's where you shoot people."

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif) agreed. "It is unconscionable that we continue to spend tens of billions of dollars on cold war weapons we no longer need."

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) encouraged progressives to reach out to non-traditional organizations as partners. "This has to be an issue for people who are trying to raise money for breast cancer research, a clean environment and some of our republican friends as well. What conservative isn't against wasteful spending?"

Money is policy. For too long now, our policy and tax dollars have favored unbridled spending on projects not necessary to ensure our safety over things Americans need everyday - like the ability to see a doctor when you're sick and the ability of little Suzy to read and write at a level where they can compete in a college environment.

We support Frank's proposal to reduce the size of the military budget. The amount of reduction isn't as important as the point being made. Budgets must be scrutinized not in terms of their size but in terms of their sensibility.

There is an opportunity cost that is associated with our military budget. If we continue to let defense be the 800-pound gorilla in the room, we won't have money left for anything else.