Federal Budget: War Money and Budget Game 06/06/08
Federal Budget: War Money and a Budget Game
June 6, 2008
Dear Friends,
Congress is back at work this week after the Memorial Day recess. In this budget update, we bring you news of the war supplemental funding bill, reports of waste in military spending, and an update on the budget resolution. We're also excited to share with you a new, interactive budget game, Budget Hero, that lets you craft the federal budget according to your own priorities.
War Supplemental Funding
On May 15, the House passed a supplemental war funding bill that didn't actually include any money for war. The bill was voted on in three parts.
- (1) Funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This part didn't pass, due to a political maneuver by Republicans who voted "present."
(2) War policy provisions. The part that covered war policy provisions, including a goal for withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, did pass.
(3) Domestic funding. The third part of the bill, which also passed, included funding for domestic programs to extend unemployment insurance, expand education benefits for veterans, and stop some Medicaid regulations that would be harmful to Medicaid recipients.
Instead of the usual practice of setting up a conference committee to negotiate between the two houses, House and Senate leaders have decided to send the bills back and forth between the two houses until both agree to the same version (conference by amendment). Since the House and Senate versions differ, the Senate war funding bill returns to the House for consideration and another vote.
FCNL is opposed to any new funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, recent vote counts on similar bills indicate that there is virtually no chance to stop additional war funding this year. Nonetheless, FCNL is committed to limiting or restricting war spending and the length of the war. We are supporting amendments to ban permanent bases in Iraq and require that any defense agreements between Iraq and the United States receive congressional approval. Find out more about FCNL's work on amendments to the war supplemental.
The domestic funding proposals originally in the House bill may not survive the process. Find out more at the Coalition on Human Needs website.
Waste in Military Spending
The National Priorities Project estimates that the cost of the war in Iraq has reached more than $526 billion, with Congress apparently poised to approve even more money for war in FY08 and FY09. Meanwhile, the president has proposed spending over a trillion dollars on the military outside of Iraq and Afghanistan in FY09. One way to begin to decrease the amount spent on the military is to reduce waste and fraud.
Senator Carl Levin (MI), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has recently declared that cost overruns for Defense Department weapons had "reached crisis proportions." A Pentagon audit of $8.2 billion in taxpayer money spent by the U.S. military on contractors in Iraq has found a severe lack in accountability. Raise awareness about this issue by writing a letter to the editor or by contacting your members of Congress to voice your concern.
Budget Resolution and a Budget Game
On June 4, the Senate passed the conference report on the budget resolution by a vote of 48 to 45. The House followed on June 5 and passed the budget resolution by a vote of 214 to 210. This is the first time since 2000 that Congress has been able to pass a budget during an election year. The final budget resolution acts as a blueprint for the annual spending bills and sets basic tax priorities.
See how Congress's budget compares with the president's budget proposal.
Then, create your own budget through the new, interactive Budget Hero game designed by American Public Media. Pick your priorities, establish spending levels, set taxes, and see how your budget stacks up!