Congress to grill DoD on spending proposals

Congress is getting ready to sink its teeth into the massive shifts in defense spending proposed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

As reported in Politico, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee want to hear more about the massive budget shifts that have been proposed by Gates.

His “efficiency” initiatives would realign defense spending and call for “modest growth” in the defense budget of 1 percent to 2 percent over the next few years.

Gates asked each of the services and his own department to come up with $100 billion dollars in savings over five years.

Lawmakers are expected to look into the decision-making process behind the proposals and request any independent analysis that led to the choices.

The timing — and the politics — of these hearings can’t be ignored. The midterm elections are looming and these budget shifts could ultimately lead to layoffs in some lawmakers’ home districts.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report brought to you by Dell. For more defense news, click here.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.