Barack Obama signs sweeping US defense spending bill

[No Elephants]

Barack Obama signs sweeping US defense spending bill

Agence France Presse | Updated: January 03, 2013 12:22 IST

New York: President Barack Obama has signed into law a $633 billion US defense spending bill that funds the war in Afghanistan and boosts security at US missions worldwide.

"I have approved this annual defense authorization legislation, as I have in previous years, because it authorizes essential support for service members and their families, renews vital national security programs, and helps ensure that the United States will continue to have the strongest military in the world," Obama said in a statement early Thursday after signing the measure.

<snip>

"In a time when all public servants recognize the need to eliminate wasteful or duplicative spending, various sections in the Act limit the Defense Department's ability to direct scarce resources towards the highest priorities for our national security," the president said.

"Even though I support the vast majority of the provisions contained in this Act... I do not agree with them all," he said in his statement, adding that he did not have the constitutional authority to approve piecemeal items within the sprawling bill.

"I am empowered either to sign the bill, or reject it, as a whole," he said.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/barack-obama-signs-sweeping-us-defense-spending-bill-312717

GBMA ("Grand Bargain" my ass)

[Enthusiast]

1. U.S. military spending is outrageous!

We need real security, at home, for citizen's needs, not for faked up Dubya Bush style WMD security.

The Afghanistan War is COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. No nation state attacked us on 911. What could we possibly accomplish in Afghanistan? Absolutely nothing! The military is not "keeping us safe." It's a joke.

[Divine Discontent]

2. hear hear! whatever our total spent is, I'm betting it could be halved if we got out of Afg, and

quit spending so much on programs for fancy new weapons that shake the ground for a mile, electrocute all living things, and such that they design for billions. We need a safe border, 200,000 active duty that protect it and are ready for any attacks, and maybe a million reservists (which we probably have in all the branches) who do the 2 days a month practice. This massive bloated military/pent budget is crippling. GOPers would rather force disabled, poor, and children here to suffer than lower that budget - shameful.

[No Elephants]

3. Not sure why you are laying it on only the GOP?

House vote 336-87 in favor of $649 billion. I don't know if all the 87 no votes were Democratic, but, even if they were, this is still a strongly bipartisan vote. (Also, very easy to vote 'no' if you think it helps you politically, because you know the bill will pass anyway)

And, the $649 approved by the Republican House was $9 billion less than Obama had requested.

With some trimming to $631 billion, the passed the Democratic Senate "overwhelmingly, according to Huffpo.

As far as cutting entitlements, in a prior post, I addressed Obama's role in that, with several links, including to a WAPO interview Obama gave shortly before his first inauguration and a video of John Conyers.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2489999