Cutting Defense Can’t Balance the Budget

Scott Nason / February 28, 2011

The roaring debate over the budget has flooded Congress with proposals and counter-proposals aimed at lessening the gaping hole between federal revenues and expenses. Almost every part of the federal budget, including defense, has been targeted under various plans. But cutting defense spending doesn’t fix the problem. It doesn’t even come close.

According to Heritage Foundation Vice President Kim Holmes, Congress could eliminate the entire Department of Defense budget and still have crushing debt in the future. The greatest slice of the federal budget goes to cover Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and that slice will only get bigger as baby boomers retire. We spend twice as much on those programs than we do on defense. Effective efforts at restoring fiscal health should begin by reforming social entitlements. (more…)