Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday demonstrated once again—as if we need more proof—why you can never trust the numbers when an administration official or agency head is complaining about budget cuts.
Hagel sent a “warning to Congress that declining defense spending means a smaller military and cuts to popular programs—but that a return to sequestration would be even worse,” according to a Politico news story.
What are those “popular programs” that could be cut? He is recommending military bases, the entire fleet of the Air Force’s A-10 Warthog attack jets, and decommissioning several Navy cruisers.
I’m surprised he didn’t suggest having the military beg for uniforms and food, but maybe he’s just getting started.
This is the most dishonest, self-serving and hypocritical kind of budget whining. When private sector companies need to make budget cuts, they look for options that have the least impact on consumers and the company’s business. When bureaucrats face cuts, they usually highlight the most important and popular spending items, and claim that those programs will be obliterated if any spending restraint is imposed.
And that’s if there were massive budget cuts. As IPI President Tom Giovanetti has pointed out, under the dreaded sequester, defense spending would have never gone below 2007 levels. And with the recent budget agreement, billions of dollars are being restored to the defense budget.
But you just cannot believe secretaries and agency heads when they come out complaining about budget cuts. And that goes double for this administration, which repeatedly misleads the public about federal finances and spending.
Is the military really struggling under the budget cuts? Who knows? Are we to believe the president who extolled the beneficial economic impact of the 2009 stimulus package? Are we to believe the president who told us that the sequester cuts would kill the economy? You never know when this administration is telling the truth or not, so being skeptical is the best approach.
No one wants to undermine military readiness, and there would probably be strong support for increased military spending if it were clear that the military was being compromised. But if you can’t believe Chuck Hagel or President Obama, how does anyone know for sure?
February 25, 2014