Supposedly Fiscally Conservative Republicans Make Exceptions For Defense Spending

Some supposedly fiscally
conservative Republicans are upset that the Obama administration
has proposed that Department of Defense spending for fiscal year
2015 be limited to roughly
$496 billion.

Chairman of the House Budget Committee
Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), said that the Obama administration’s plans
to cut the defense budget were “disappointing,” and Sen.
Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said that the proposed defense budget
would put the U.S. military’s ability to protect American interests
abroad, provide a deterrent to attack, and provide security for
allies at risk.

Former Congressman
Allen West (R-Fla.) issued a bizarre statement in response to
the proposed budget, saying that it is being cheered by our enemies
and that small cuts to our vast defense budget will “decimate our
military capability.”

You would think that those who like to talk about fiscal
responsibility would be more open to cutting defense spending,
especially given that U.S. defense spending dwarfs any other
country’s.

According to the
International Business Times, in 2013 the top 20
military spenders spent $1.316 trillion on “defense-related
expenditures.” The U.S. was responsible for an astonishing 44
percent of that spending.

A graph below from the Economist based on data from the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute illustrates how
much of global military spending the U.S. was responsible for in
2012:

Anyone who claims to be for cutting government spending should
consider the Department of Defense as one of the prime candidates
for cuts.

It is worth keeping in mind that, despite what Sen. Rubio said,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen.
Martin Dempsey believes that the Defense Department’s budget
proposal “represents a responsible and, more importantly, a
realistic way forward.”
The New York Times reported yesterday that officials
believe that the proposed budget will allow for a military that
will be “capable of defeating any adversary, but too small for
protracted foreign occupations.”

Reason reached out to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen.
Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), and Rep. Thomas
Massie (R-Ky.) for comment on the Defense Department budget
proposal.

Sen. Cruz’s D.C. Press Secretary Catherine Frazier told
Reason the following:

It is a shame that instead of going after going after waste,
duplication and bureaucracy, Sec. Hagel is instead looking to
reduce the number of men and women that are bravely serving to
protect our country. We can comment more specifically on his
proposal when we see the budget details next week.

This post will be updated as the lawmakers (or their staff)
respond to request for comment.