Tea Partiers Push for Cuts in Defense Spending
(The New American) -- by Kelly Holt --
New members in Congress may face tough choices as Tea Partiers say the defense budget shouldn’t be exempt from budget cuts. According to MSNBC.com on Jan. 21, although the $700 billion annual budget is one that few in Congress have been willing to tackle, Tea Party groups declare that if spending is to be cut, “the military’s budget needs to be part of the mix.”
Tea Party Patriots founder Mark Meckler observed:
The widely held sentiment among Tea Party Patriot members is that every item in the budget, including military spending and foreign aid, must be on the table. It is time to get serious about preserving the country for our posterity. The mentality that certain programs are "off the table"must be taken off the table.Meckler was referring to the defense, Homeland Security and veterans’ programs exemptions in “Pledge to America” made by House Republican leaders last fall. But new House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) reports that defense could now be up for cuts.
Along with most Tea Party groups, the Tea Party Patriots list as their core values fiscal responsibility, constitutionally-limited government, and free markets. Consequently, they believe that each spending bill should be based on specific constitutional authority. Because most spending bills have long not been so based, Tea Partiers and other fiscal conservatives made their displeasure known last November, and are now demanding reduced spending — including defense expenditures.
The entire Tea Party movement could face criticism in pushing for cuts in defense spending: opponents claim that proposed cuts would weaken national security post–September 11 and jeopardize jobs at a time of already high unemployment...MORE...LINK
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