I know some think I spend too much time writing about the War Department and its stranglehold on the Congress and budget…..maybe so but how else will readers learn what is being done with their money. (Apparently too many could care less)
After weeks of negotiations the House and Biden come to a deal….the shit show went on and on…..and yet there is NO negotiations on the budget for the War Department. Why?
The debt ceiling agreement reached between the White House and House Republicans that was announced Sunday caps military spending at $886 billion for 2024, matching President Biden’s requested budget.
Republicans negotiating the debt ceiling deal only sought non-military spending cuts. The $886 billion cap for military spending represents about a 3.3% increase from 2023.
The White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) still need to get the debt ceiling agreement passed through Congress. Many hawkish Republicans will likely oppose the deal as they previously blasted Biden’s massive $886 billion request as “inadequate.”
Hawks in Congress have gotten their way over the past two years as they approved significantly more military spending than what President Biden requested for 2022 and 2023. For 2023, President Biden asked for $813 billion in military spending, but Congress added $45 billion, bringing the finalized National Defense Authorization Act to $858 billion.
A similar increase for 2024 could bring the NDAA close to $1 trillion. The US also authorizes other national security spending that is not included in the NDAA. According to analyst Winslow Wheeler, factoring in other types of expenditures on the national security state, including interest on debt and the Veteran Affairs budget, would bring the total defense budget for 2024 to around $1.5 trillion.
(antiwar.com)
Why is this framed as the price for freedom?
Why are poor and retired Americans having to foot the bill for the debt….war has added more to the debt than anything else and yet it is sacred and cannot be altered.
Why?
Then there is this Ukraine thing….
Dems are proving to be more pro war than the GOP (a scary thought)…..
Several members of the Democrat Party in Congress are urging the White House to provide Kiev with significantly more military support. One representative wants the Joe Biden administration to place “non-combatant observers” on the ground in Ukraine.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) called for long-term investment in modernizing Ukraine’s military. He believes the upgraded weapons will turn the country into a “porcupine that can’t be swallowed.”
One suggestion Crow made was sending non-combatant observers to the battlefield to learn “through direct observation and communication with Ukrainian forces.” Crow did not specify if the personnel would come from the CIA, Pentagon or another agency. However, deploying any Americans on the battlefield risks them being killed by Russian soldiers.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), are backing a plan that would send ATACM missiles to Ukraine.
https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/democrats-in-congress-demand-more-aggressive-ukraine-policy/
The blood money paid to Congress by the industry ensures that they continue to make war and make money….
The debt ceiling agreement reached between the White House and House Republicans places no constraints on spending on the war in Ukraine, a White House official told Bloomberg.
The $113 billion that has been authorized to spend on the war in Ukraine so far was passed as supplemental emergency funds, which is exempt from the spending caps that are part of the debt ceiling deal.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, funding “designated as an emergency requirement or for overseas contingency operations would not be constrained, and certain other funding would not be subject to the caps.” The deal suspends the nation’s debt limit through January 1, 2025.
Hawks in Congress are looking to use emergency spending to increase the $886 billion military budget that was agreed to as part of the deal. The emergency funds could go beyond Ukraine and might be used to send weapons to Taiwan or for other spending that hawks favor as part of their strategy against China.
(antiwar.com)
….all the while the poor and those in need will have to suffer to keep the war drums beating and profitable.
And as always I ask the same question….what does the US hope to gain from our massive investment in Ukraine? (Not to worry it will go unanswered)
This whole debt thing is just goddamn pathetic.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
‘Observers’? That’s how they started out in Vietnam, if I recall correctly.
Best wishes, Pete.
My question as well…and yes it was a start chuq
In reference to: “Many hawkish Republicans will likely oppose the deal …” (It didn’t do them a damned bit of good to oppose it, did it? LOL)
No, the poor and retired Americans are not footing the entire bill for the defense department. The United States government spends a significant amount of money on its defense budget, and this money comes from a variety of sources, including taxes, fees, and borrowing. While the poor and retired may pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than the wealthy, they do not pay the entire bill for the defense department.
In fact, the top 1% of earners in the United States pay a much larger share of the federal income tax than the bottom 90% combined. This means that the wealthy are actually subsidizing the defense budget, and the poor and retired are not footing the entire bill.
The money that Congress gives to the War Department is not necessarily blood money designed to insure the industrial/military complex can continue to make money and make war. Some of this money is used to pay for the salaries and benefits of military personnel, to purchase weapons and equipment, and to conduct research and development. However, some of this money may also be used to fund wars and other military operations, which could be seen as blood money.
There are a few reasons why hawks in Congress are looking to increase the military budget. First, they believe that the United States needs to be prepared for a potential conflict with China. China has been rapidly modernizing its military and has been expanding its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Hawks believe that the United States needs to match or exceed China’s military capabilities in order to deter a conflict.
In answer to: “what does the US hope to gain from our massive investment in Ukraine? ” — I will propose the following:
The US hopes to gain a number of things from its massive investment in Ukraine, including:
A stronger and more democratic Ukraine: The US has long supported Ukraine’s efforts to become a more democratic and prosperous country. By providing military and economic assistance, the US hopes to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression and build a more stable and prosperous future.
A weakened and isolated Russia: The US sees Russia as a major threat to its interests in Europe and around the world. By supporting Ukraine, the US hopes to weaken Russia militarily and economically, and to make it more difficult for Russia to project power in the region.
A more united and cohesive NATO: The US has also benefited from the strong support of its NATO allies in the Ukraine crisis. By providing assistance to Ukraine, the US hopes to strengthen NATO’s resolve and unity, and to deter Russia from further aggression against any NATO member.
A more stable and prosperous Europe: A strong and democratic Ukraine is in the interest of the entire European continent. By helping Ukraine, the US hopes to contribute to a more stable and prosperous Europe, which is in the long-term interests of the United States.
The US has spent billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. The US has also imposed tough sanctions on Russia in an effort to pressure it to withdraw its forces. The US has made it clear that it is committed to helping Ukraine win the war and rebuild its country.
The US investment in Ukraine is a long-term investment in the security and prosperity of the United States and its allies. The US believes that a strong and democratic Ukraine is essential to a stable and prosperous Europe. The US is also committed to deterring Russia from further aggression and to strengthening NATO’s resolve and unity.
So that somehow makes all the cash pissed away justified….sanctions are doing very little as I have written many times…..rebuild the economy? Ukraine will not win this war at best it will drag on and on as did Afghanistan and Vietnam…..to keep spreading this so-called democracy thing is doing nothing to make the world safer place and doing absolutely nothing to improve the American economy……all this just trying desperately trying to put lipstick on this pig. chuq
Time will tell
Yes it will. chuq
The military needs a larger budget if the gov’t is going to continue to send our troops everywhere around the world and after seeing a recent look at our Navy – jeez they need more ship desperately!
I understand modernization but bankrolling countless wars will not help. chuq
You know I do no advocate war, but I do not control what the White House does trying to act strong and benevolent.
Neither of us do….but IMO we should have a voice in those decisions…..but that would make it more like a democracy. chuq
The people have been yelling about that for our 248 years – you couldn’t possibly think Biden and this Congress would start listening now!
As long as the cash is the political motivator we will have no change. chuq
money 🔄 power, will always be the motivator. In government, you need to know how to play ‘King of the hill.”
And that is sad when we think we have a democracy and money buys the government. Have a good Sunday my friend chuq
You as well, chug.
😎
Hey, old chum… came across this interesting article on the Chinese navy being larger than our own… and the future threat vs our ability to build ships fast enough.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/02/asia/japan-south-korea-naval-shipbuilding-intl-hnk-ml-dst/index.html
Part of my point in pointing this out is while I fully respect your anti-Pentagon stance and will never doubt you on it, is that we do have military threats in the real world not necessarily under the provocation from our own military industrial complex for the sake of money. Apparently our ability to feed the world with guns, bombs, and bullets has left out the Navy to the point where we have to consider our allies building warships for us to keep up.
GP brought this up and I say spend the cash on modernization not bankroll wars across the planet…..good link thanx chuq
Reblogged this on AGR Free Press.
Thanx for the reblog…….your help is appreciated. chuq