Last week, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) unveiled its own budget proposal, which cuts over $3 trillion more than Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan over the next ten years. Despite all the media commentary about a divide within the Republican Party on the defense budget, the RSC proposal, like Paul Ryan’s, funds defense at the same level the Obama administration requested for FY12. With these budgets, congressional Republicans have embraced the principle that defense spending is a unique portion of federal outlays and should be treated as such. House Republicans appear to realize that deficit reduction is best achieved by reining in runaway spending on entitlements and non-defense discretionary spending, not the Pentagon.
Those aspiring for the presidency in 2012 will have
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Republicans laid the groundwork for a responsible approach to deficit reduction that preserves rather than undermines the very security that has allowed America to prosper. But more will need to be done (and more will need to be spent) in the years to come if we are to meet our global responsibilities and confront the many threats facing us in the decades ahead.
