Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Pentagon's Secret Budget Numbers

Shocker: Pentagon's Secret Budget Numbers

By
Jeff Stein
October 10, 2008 11:17 AM
Courtesy Of
The Congressional Quarterly

The Pentagon has been struggling with what to spend money on in light of the coming financial squeeze, and now they have made their choice...everything!

As my CQ colleague Josh Rogin reports today, Pentagon officials have prepared a secret budget estimate that they plan to spring on the next president right before they leave town.

It's only $450 billion more than the apparently disingenuous number they put out last February.

With the economy circling the bowl, the next commander-in-chief might want to cast it aside.

But he would have to pay a political price -- and that's the point.

"This is a political document," said one former senior budget official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"It sets up the new administration immediately to have to make a decision of how to deal with the perception that they are either cutting defense or adding to it."

The Defense Department's comptroller's office declined to dispute the numbers.

Cdr. Darryn James, a Pentagon spokesman, said it was "premature to discuss future budgets because they were still being worked on."

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