Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warns against more cuts in Pentagon budget

[The Straight Story]

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warns against more cuts in Pentagon budget

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Thursday of dire consequences if the Pentagon is forced to make cuts to its budget beyond the $400 billion in savings planned for the next decade.

“We’re already taking our share of the discretionary cuts as part of this debt-ceiling agreement, and those are going to be tough enough,” Panetta told reporters in his first news conference as defense secretary. “I think anything beyond that would damage our national defense.”

The initial round of Pentagon cuts is part of a debt-reduction package that would slice about $1 trillion from agency budgets over 10 years. A second round of cuts, totaling as much as $1.5 trillion, will be prepared by a bipartisan congressional panel later this year.

Senior Pentagon officials have launched an offensive over the past two days to convince lawmakers that further reductions in Pentagon spending would imperil the country’s security. Instead of slashing defense, Panetta said, the bipartisan panel should rely on tax increases and cuts to nondiscretionary spending, such as Medicare and Social Security, to provide the necessary savings.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/defense-secretary-leon-panetta-warns-against-more-cuts-in-pentagon-budget/2011/08/04/gIQAWM8AvI_story.html

[Taverner]

1. CUT DEFENSE!!!

Why do we need bases in Okinawa, Germany and Scotland????

[valerief]

2. Cut him first of all! nt

[montanacowboy]

3. Leon Panetta, Crybaby

and pathetic asshole

[arcane1]

4. Dear Defense Secretary Leon Panetta:

Go fuck yourself.

[Marrah_G]

5. Imagine how much they could save if they just stopped waste and fraud

Defense contractors have been screwing taxpayers for as long as I can remember.

[villager]

6. Another great visionary "hope and change" cabinet appointment!

The hits just keep on comin'!

:thumbsup:

[Rex]

7. Wow why did they put that...nevermind. Why am I surprised anymore?

Just give the troops some money and stop paying 500 dollars for a fucking hammer! Reagan caused all this.

[yardwork]

8. Oh FFS

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

9. Are these motherfuckers stupid, corrupt or is it both? nt

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. Get creative, Leon. Hold a bake sale or something.

You know - like how we fund education and classrooms.

:thumbsup:

[bobthedrummer]

11. K&R n/t

[Angry Dragon]

12. It seems this administration is still going after Social Security

otherwise the president would slap him down for saying cut SS

SS has nothing to do with the budget or deficit ........ lies, lies, lies from both sides
to hell with them all

[neverforget]

13. Lieberman, is that you?

[RC]

14. When I saw this,

"Instead of slashing defense, Panetta said, the bipartisan panel should rely on tax increases and cuts to nondiscretionary spending, such as Medicare and Social Security, to provide the necessary savings."

I thought, "Yeah, don't cut discretionary spending for our profitable wars and stuff."