President Trump’s call for “one of the greatest military build-ups in American history,” without explaining how he will pay for it, willfully ignores the current Pentagon budget that is larger than the Cold War average and breeds waste, fraud, and abuse.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hazel Correa
hcorrea@armscontrolcenter.org
202.546.0795 x2115
Washington, DC – President Donald Trump, speaking at the annual CPAC Conference, called for “one of the greatest military build-ups in American history.” In response, former Congressman John Tierney, the Executive Director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, commented,
“President Trump’s call for a massive Pentagon spending increase, while in the same speech promising large tax cuts, defies logic. The president must explain how the United States is going to pay for such a build-up when the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, has referred to the national debt as the “single biggest threat to our national security.”
“The Pentagon is the only federal agency that has never passed a legally mandated audit, meaning the Pentagon’s financial records cannot be verified. Meanwhile, billions of dollars are wasted every year on programs that will never work. Throwing more money at the Pentagon will not be effective.”
Lt. Gen. Robert Gard (Ret.), a former President of the National Defense University and a Center national advisory board member, added,
“The Pentagon’s more than $600 billion budget is larger than the next seven nations’ military spending combined – approximately nine times more than Russia and three times more than China. By every measure, the United States already has the strongest and most capable military on Earth, despite billions of dollars in annual Pentagon waste. What is needed is Pentagon spending reform, not a blanket Pentagon spending boost.”
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Congressman John F. Tierney is available for further comment and broadcast bookings by contacting Hazel Correa at 202.546.0795 X 2115 or hcorrea@armscontrolcenter.org
The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation is a national non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to enhancing peace and security through expert policy analysis and thought-provoking research. Since 1980, the Center’s expertise on reducing the threats of war and nuclear weapons has been sought by the media and policymakers – supported by the tax-deductible contributions of foundations and individuals. www.ArmsControlCenter.org.
