President Obama Heralds Spending Cuts, Elimination of “Wasteful” Projects in Defense Bill
EmailABC News’ Sunlen Miller and Karen Travers report:
This afternoon at the White House, President Obama signed into law the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act and said the bill reaffirms the nation’s commitment to the men and women in uniform and brings change to Washington.
“I have often said that meeting our greatest challenges would require not only changing policies in Washington, but changing the way business is done in Washington, that it would require a government that's more efficient and effective and less influenced by lobbyists and parochial politics,” the president said in during an East Room ceremony. “And I'm pleased to say that, when it comes to the defense bill I'm about to sign into law, we've taken some important steps towards that goal.”
The president only briefly referenced the federal hate crimes provision that is contained in the spending bill.
The legislation authorizes $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and strips money from the Pentagon budget for the controversial F-22 Raptor. The Pentagon and White House pushed strongly to stop production of the costly aircraft but were met with resistance from members of Congress who said their states would suffer job losses if the funding was cut.
Today Mr. Obama touted that specific cut. “No longer will we be spending nearly $2 billion to buy more F-22 fighter jets that the Pentagon says they don't need,” he said.
Mr. Obama said that wasteful spending projects are “unacceptable at any time,” but with the nation fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, “it's inexcusable. It's unconscionable.”
“It's an affront to the American people and to our troops, and it has to stop,” he said.
The President said that by signing this legislation today, it proves wrong the critics who said that cutting wasteful projects was impossible because the administration would be “steamrolled” by special interests.
“So I think it's important to note today we have proven them wrong,” Mr. Obama said. “Today, we're putting an end to some wasteful projects that lawmakers have tried to kill for years.”
The president acknowledged that the bill is not perfect, or free of waste, but said it is an important first step.
“There's still more waste we need to cut. There is still more fights that we need to win. Changing the culture in Washington will take time and sustained effort,” Mr. Obama said, “So today I'm pleased to say that we have proved that change is possible. It may not come quickly or all at once, but if you push hard enough, it does come eventually.”
The President praised Secretary of Defense Gates for understanding that the defense budget “isn’t about politics” and who “took the fight to Congress.” He also praised Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who stood with him in his efforts at reform, “even though it probably occasional caused some heart bur inside of the Pentagon.”
“I have always rejected the notion that we have to waste billions of dollars of taxpayer money to keep this nation secure,” the President said, “In fact, I think that wasting these dollars makes us less secure. And that's why we have passed a defense bill that eliminates some of the waste and inefficiency in our defense process, reforms that will better protect our nation, better protect our troops, and save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.”
Mr. Obama only briefly mentioned the hate crimes provision within the act. The long-sought Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act is included in the bill. It will extend federal hate crimes law to include crimes motivated by a victim's gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
“After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are,” the president said.
Shepard’s mother was in the audience and Obama noted that he “promised” her that this day would come.
The President will make more formal remarks on the hate crimes provision at a reception in the East Room this evening.
-Sunlen Miller and Karen Travers
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Too bad they couldn’t cut waste from the other spending bills he has signed this year. The F-22 program is arguably something worth spending money on as it keeps jobs filled instead of increasing the unemployment rate.
Posted by: Jason | October 28, 2009, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
Mr. Obama said that wasteful spending projects are “unacceptable at any time,” but with the nation fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, “it’s inexcusable. It’s unconscionable.”
Like ACORN?
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | October 28, 2009, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
“Like ACORN?”
________________________________
You seem to think just saying the word ‘ACORN’ makes everybody guilty of everything. Did you do the same with the word Muslim?
Please provide specifics instead of parroting catch words and phrases.
Posted by: tierra | October 28, 2009, 5:01 pm 5:01 pm
“Mr. Obama said that wasteful spending projects are “unacceptable at any time,” but with the nation fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, “it’s inexcusable. It’s unconscionable.”
Like ACORN?”
Let’s see ACORN has received a total of $53M in fed grants over the last 10 years and has not been accused of wasteful or excessive spending of taxpayer dollars.
They do register poor minorities to vote which is a threat to the right wing white makes right power structure.
But since you care so much about wasteful spending what do you think of KBR subsidiary of Halliburton
“The Army official who managed the Pentagon’s largest contract in Iraq says he was ousted from his job when he refused to approve paying more than $1 billion in questionable charges to KBR, the Houston-based company that has provided food, housing and other services to American troops.”
And
“The Pentagon Inspector General said he could find no documentation in Navy contracting files to back up KBR claims it paid fair and reasonable prices to subcontractors that served meals in New Orleans.
“The prices KBR agreed to pay were greatly inflated,” the 86-page audit said.
“The Navy paid approximately $4.1 million for meals and services we calculate should have cost $1.7 million, more than a $2.3 million difference,” said the audit, signed by Assistant Inspector General for Acquisition Management Richard Jolliffe.
. . . Altogether, the audit requested that the Navy seek refunds of at least $8.5 million for “inappropriate” payments to KBR.”
And that’s not even really the whole story re KBR.
If $53M got you all hot and bothered I would imagine BILLIONS have you ready to get the pitchfork brigade together.
That is if you actually have principles which I doubt.
Posted by: Ryan C | October 28, 2009, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
ryan, belittling people does not make your point. one sided ideology does not show wisdom.
Posted by: storm | October 28, 2009, 6:01 pm 6:01 pm
And that’s not even really the whole story re KBR.
If $53M got you all hot and bothered…
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 28, 2009 5:40:55 PM
ryan, belittling people does not make your point. one sided ideology does not show wisdom.
Posted by: storm | Oct 28, 2009 6:01:22 PM
***
So Ryan writes an excellent post in response to an absurdity (as does tierra) and you nitpick on a couple of digs– which most of up make from time to time– and insinuate he’s not wise, or right, or that his points aren’t valid? C’mon! It’d be nice if you responded to the substance with substance. If we could all do that maybe we’d get beyond the digs, ya dig?
Posted by: Alyson | October 28, 2009, 6:34 pm 6:34 pm
He should revisit the stimulus bill and and cut real waste from the budget. With $16 billion creating 30000 jobs that’s about $500,000. No one is upset about but when Goldman averages $500,000 in bonuses that’s the end of the world. The stimulus was full of pork projects for all the Dems.
Posted by: jschmidt | October 28, 2009, 7:17 pm 7:17 pm
“Please provide specifics instead of parroting catch words and phrases.”
I’m putting together a list of the buzzwords, catchphrases and talking points used incessantly by the right wing in their war against Obama. Feel free to add to the list.
ACORN, Arrogant, Barry, The bias [sic] MSM, Big Government, BO, Can’t make a decision, Communist, Competition across state lines, Dear leader, Dictator, Elitist, Empty suit, Fascist, Fishy, In over his head, Leftist, Long form birth certificate, Marxist, The Messiah, mmm mmm mmm, My Muslim faith, Narcissist, Nobama, The One, Socialist, Stop blaming Bush, Teleprompter, Throw under the bus, Tort reform, Tyrant, Zero.
Posted by: WWW | October 28, 2009, 7:18 pm 7:18 pm
NASA needs to blast Obama to the moon.
Not only he will find water, he wil walk on it too!.
Posted by: Walking Tall | October 28, 2009, 7:38 pm 7:38 pm
Posted by: WWW | Oct 28, 2009 7:18:02 PM
***
Great list. Off the top of my list I’d add Alinsky, Ayers wrote Dreams of my father, black panthers (at voting site especially), citing Rasmussen polls only and incessantly, czars, death panels (yes still even though they now refer to them slightly differently at times), dithering (thanks to Cheney), government takeover of business, indoctrination, Jeremiah Wright (still), kool aid (sometimes misspelled as kool aide), Maoist, national (or civil) police force, Obamabot, pretending they voted for Obama or used to be a democrat or are a moderate or independent even though they’re clearly far right, radical associations, ramming bills through without giving people time to read them, secret takeover, so what if Bush did it (and it’s attachment, doesn’t that mean you should be against it continuing or made worse), taking away freedoms (or liberties),
Posted by: Alyson | October 28, 2009, 7:47 pm 7:47 pm
That is if you actually have principles which I doubt.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 28, 2009 5:40:55 PM
So Ryan writes an excellent post in response to an absurdity (as does tierra) and you nitpick on a couple of digs– which most of up make from time to time– and insinuate he’s not wise, or right, or that his points aren’t valid? C’mon! It’d be nice if you responded to the substance with substance. If we could all do that maybe we’d get beyond the digs, ya dig?
Posted by: Alyson | Oct 28, 2009 6:34:15 PM
**********
Interesting. Storm was responding to what Ryan “ROFLMAO” C said above. Where exactly is the substance in what he said. He is putting someone down and it is an ineffective way to get his point across. I love how all you THOUGHT POLICE on here gang up against people who do not espouse yours and obama’s ideology. Your credibility is so low right now. Keep up the belittling posts – it adds to your detriment.
Posted by: Jenny | October 28, 2009, 8:06 pm 8:06 pm
Posted by: Jenny | Oct 28, 2009 8:06:51 PM
“Like ACORN?”
________________________________
You seem to think just saying the word ‘ACORN’ makes everybody guilty of everything. Did you do the same with the word Muslim?
Please provide specifics instead of parroting catch words and phrases.
Posted by: tierra | Oct 28, 2009 5:01:07 PM
Whirled Peas has not responded to this so perhaps he really doesn’t have any principles – at least not the principles and conscience to back up his slurs and smears.
You lose on this one Jenny. Again.
Posted by: tierra | October 28, 2009, 8:19 pm 8:19 pm
Finally Obama comes through for the gay community. The Shepard family has been through enough. This new interview with Judy Shepard is heartbreaking.
Posted by: Peggy | October 28, 2009, 8:49 pm 8:49 pm
The F-22 is still needed. The F-35 is in development. And the Russians just created the SU-30 Air Superiority Fighter thta the F-22 was suppose to counter. The F-16, F-15 and F-18 are all over 30 years old and are falling apart in mid air. They should have cancelled the F-35 since it was in development and bought more F-22s which are now flying and are now needed to counter the Russian SU-30 and the new Chinese aircraft coming out. What short sighted thinking on the DEMS, GOP, Obama and the DOD. ! Nice going guys. If they had bought 800 – 900 F-22s as they originally had planned, the cost would have gone down. Just wait until they have some major development problems with the F-35 and over run it’s budget by Billions. Then they will have no new planes and we will have to gte along with F-16s and F-15s that are atleast 30 years old. How many of you have 30 year old cars ?
Posted by: tom | October 28, 2009, 8:52 pm 8:52 pm
Lets cut ALL the defense spending waste,,,,,start with stopping the TWO LIE WARS,,,we cannot afford 10 billion a month…..remember when Katrina hit New Orleans, and the government said ” we cannot afford 13 BILLION dollars to repair the levy’s”…But we can afford 10 billion A MONTH to fuel the lie wars,,,,,,there are many ways to cut WASTE in Washington,,,,,,but then they would have a hard time robbing us blind then,,,,,The ONLY thing our government does well…..WASTE MONEY.
Posted by: tincup56 | October 28, 2009, 9:01 pm 9:01 pm
Mr. Obama said that wasteful spending projects are “unacceptable at any time,” but with the nation fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, “it’s inexcusable. It’s unconscionable.”
Wasteful spending projects? Like what the Dems did when they took office and started the pork-fest?
Gimme a break.
Posted by: JustMe | October 28, 2009, 9:46 pm 9:46 pm
It’s clearly a great day for the uber-liberals. Defense budgets slashed and Pelosi is ready to annouce the first step to single payer with a tidy $1T price tag. Oh, happy day!
Posted by: Woody | October 28, 2009, 9:46 pm 9:46 pm
Obama has finally found a program to cut. While we are in the middle of an out-of- control war in Afganistan, he wants to cut the defense budget (???). His answer to everything else is to throw a $ Trillion dollars at it.
Posted by: HarrisonGT | October 28, 2009, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm
I don’t have a problem with the cuts in the military spending when it comes to programs that the military says are not needed. But I agree that the stimulus bill had far to much pork barrel for both the democrats and the republicans. The health bill sounds like it will have too much spending for the results. Most bills coming out of Congress for decades have contained too much waste. Best suggest I have heard is to tie the federal retirement program to the budget. When they go over budget each year, their retirement is cut by the same percentage!
Posted by: MikeMo1947 | October 28, 2009, 10:54 pm 10:54 pm
A talented and dedicated public servant resigns his post because he does not know what the mission in Afghanistan is.
He does not know because his commander-in-chief sits brooding, week after week, and does not tell him what it is. Scant months after unveiling his grand strategy and his hand-picked general, he endlessly ponders whether and how to extract himself from what he so recently described as a war of necessity, a war the nation had to win.
For shame. Shame on you, Mr. President. Shame on you.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | October 28, 2009, 11:51 pm 11:51 pm
“A talented and dedicated public servant resigns his post because he does not know what the mission in Afghanistan is.
“He does not know because his commander-in-chief sits brooding, week after week, and does not tell him what it is.”
________________________________________
“My resignation is not based on how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end.”
It has nothing to do with the President considering operational options.
The lesson as always – right wingers lie.
Still it is a sad fact that Cheney and Bush left Afghanistan on the back burner for years very effectively allowing the Taliban and al Qaeda to regroup.
Posted by: tierra | October 29, 2009, 12:49 am 12:49 am
endlessly ponders whether and how to extract himself from what he so recently described as a war of necessity,
Posted by: Fascist Hyena
Like Kristol, Cheney and the rest of the neo-con prognosticators, the ‘right’ has been wrong, consistently,
wrong on Iraq,
wrong on Afghanistan policy for 8 years, wrong on the economy and on and on..
it is of some moderate comedic value to see them persist in their ‘wrongness’..
once again they give life and meaning to Obama’s now prescient quote:
‘they take pride in their own ignorance’
Posted by: Oh Yeah | October 29, 2009, 12:58 am 12:58 am
“There’s still more waste we need to cut. There is still more fights that we need to win. Changing the culture in Washington will take time and sustained effort,” Mr. Obama said,
_______________________________________
but it isn’t that hard to change. It starts right in the voting booth. Getting rid of every incumbent lawmaker in DC will send a loud message that the American Voter is tired of the status quo and says ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!
how many of you are willing to vote against your incumbent and/or your party? if not then quit complaining because they aren’t the problem…..YOU ARE!!!!
Posted by: dk | October 29, 2009, 3:29 am 3:29 am
It’s not that the programs aren’t needed, some are, F-22 replacing the aging F-15 for example, it’s what the Pentagon can afford given their budget, F-35 replacing the F-16/A-10 largely political as we are partnered with several other countries and paying most of the bill and giving away technology…dumb really…Rob Peter to pay Paul……I would hazard to guess that with the Dems increased spending that these current programs will probably meet Peter in the future as well…VOTE in 2010/2012
Posted by: Parallex View | October 29, 2009, 12:56 pm 12:56 pm
Posted by: Alyson | Oct 28, 2009 7:47:26 PM
Excellent additions! Thank you, Alyson. The list has been duly updated.
Posted by: WWW | October 29, 2009, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
When are we going to cut the handouts for the poeple who refuse to get off their lazy butts? I didt have a job, so now I serve my country. Why o I have to suffer?
Posted by: Pissed off Soldier | October 29, 2009, 5:07 pm 5:07 pm