Tue, Feb 02, 2010
President Cites C-17 A Specific Example Of Waste
Though the Defense Department is exempt from a proposed
federal spending freeze, President Barack Obama said wasteful
defense spending has been trimmed from the $3.83 trillion fiscal
2011 budget he submitted to Congress Monday. Discussing the budget
proposal at the White House, Obama said his push for a three-year
discretionary federal spending freeze to begin next year doesn't
apply to U.S. national security program funding.
"I also want to note, even though the Department of Defense is
exempt from the budget freeze, it's not exempt from budget common
sense," Obama said in a news conference Monday. "It's not exempt
from looking for savings."
An example of the fat trimmed from the defense budget is
congressional funding for additional C-17 transport aircraft. The
department reached its goal of 180 aircraft four years ago, Obama
said. Yet, he noted, Congress has provided unrequested funding for
more C-17s in each subsequent fiscal year. "We saved money by
eliminating unnecessary defense programs that do nothing to keep us
safe," Obama said of the $2.5 billion dollars saved by eliminating
the excess funding. "Every year since, Congress has provided
unrequested money for more C-17s that the Pentagon doesn't want or
need. It's waste, pure and simple."
C 17 File Photo
Obama's remarks today about the federal spending freeze
reiterate the policy he first announced last week during his State
of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress. In both
appearances he also emphasized that his budget proposal includes
funding for support of the nation's military veterans. The
president's budget also provides funding to support military
families. First Lady Michelle Obama discussed budget details here
last week in a discussion with military spouses at Bolling Air
Force Base. The budget calls for a record $8.8 billion for military
family support programs and also will include a 1.4 percent basic
military pay raise and an average 4.2 percent housing allowance
increase.
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