(1) Under H. Res. 38, the Chair of the Committee on the Budget shall include in the Congressional Record an allocation for the remainder of fiscal year 2011 that assumes nonsecurity spending at fiscal year 2008 levels.
(2) Reductions in defense spending should be included in any effort to reduce Federal outlays and reduce the national deficit.
(3) In fiscal year 2010, defense spending comprised 58 percent of discretionary spending.
(4) If defense spending continued at fiscal year 2010 levels for the next 5 years, it would total $3,600,000,000,000.
(5) Reducing defense spending to fiscal year 2008 levels would save approximately $182,000,000,000 over 5 years compared to current levels.
(6) In January 2011 Secretary of Defense Gates stated that the Administration is seeking $78,000,000,000 in cuts to the defense budget over the next five years on top of $100,000,000,000 in efficiencies. This savings should be used to decrease the deficit.
(7) President Obama has pledged to begin drawing down forces in Afghanistan in July 2011 with a goal of full withdrawal in 2014. With a decrease in troops abroad, our defense spending should decrease.
(8) In a CBS News Poll from January 2011, over 50 percent of Americans questioned would reduce defense spending to decrease the Federal deficit.
(9) The United States currently spends more on its military and defense than the next 19 biggest spending nations combined.
(10) Making reasonable reductions to the defense budget can help to solve the Nation’s long-term fiscal problems.
U.S. Congress - Text of H.R.413 as Introduced in House Defense and Deficit Reduction Act
